Farouk Lawan, the embattled Nigerian lawmaker who led an investigation into the fraud-ridden fuel subsidy program only to fall prey to charges of demanding and accepting bribes from targets of his probe, is to spend the weekend at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The police have refused to allow Farouk Lawan go home because of his refusal to surrender the $620,000 bribe he collected Femi Otedola.
Detectives from the Special Task Force, STF, investigating the $3illion bribe scandal against former House of Representatives Subsidy Probe panel Chairman, Lawan Farouk yesterday conducted a one-hour search at his Apo residence.
About $10,000 was found in his Lawan’s residence.
Also, searched was the house of the Secretary of the Committee, Hon. Boniface Emenalo, who was alleged to have collected $120,000 as part of the bribe money.
Both principal officers were Thursday detained in the cells of the Police Force Criminal Investigations Department, FCID, located in Garki, Area 10 Abuja.
It was learnt that Farouk told the police that when he discovered that the whole plot was a set up, he collected the money and handed it over to the Chairman, House Committee on Financial Crimes and assured the STF that he would return the money intact to the police, but the CP, Ali Amodu- led STF is not buying the argument even as the House Committee Chairman on Financial Crimes would be invited to come with the marked money allegedly given to Farouk, to buttress his statement.
Farouk Lawan’s lawyer Israel Olorundare (SAN) frowned at the decision of Police to detain the lawmaker.
Olorundare said it was unfortunate that the police were using the opportunity of the weekend to detain his client, adding that, were it not for the week, Mr. Lawan would have headed to the court to enforce his fundamental human rights.
“The police are using the opportunity of the weekend to detain him illegally. We will meet in court on Monday if they refuse to release him before then,” he said.
