₦airaland Forum

ayobase: Dont be daft....from the workers' salaries, 25% is being deducted monthly for the purpose of pension....research before u post rubbish my friend!

By KINGSLEY OMONOBI, Abuja
Detectives at the Police headquarters investigating the $620, 000 oil subsidy bribe money collected by erstwhile chairman of the House of Representatives Subsidy Probe Panel, Hon. Farouk Lawan from oil magnate, Mr. Femi Otedola, at the weekend disclosed to Vanguard that the decision of the Police not to stand in the way of the embattled Farouk travelling out of the country on religious grounds, followed his keeping to the terms of his bail conditions.


Farouk Lawan
Aside reporting to the Police Special Task Force on two times daily basis, or whenever his presence was needed to shed more light on some issues, Farouk Lawan is said to have wept in one instance when it dawned on him that he had been abandoned by his colleagues to swim alone and was neck deep in the bribery allegation and that it will take close to a miracle to escape the consequences.

When the issue of his travelling for pilgrimage ‘Umrah’ came up, the authorities studied his conduct and analyzed his willingness to cooperate with the bribery investigation. In most cases, all the addresses, information needed from him were provided and were found to be true; the only exception being that he regretted that his colleagues in the house, disappointed him when the $620, 000 which he claimed he kept in the house was not forthcoming.

It was gathered however that a specific time frame within which the embattled former chairman would perform his religious obligation and return to the country, was agreed and signed, and failure to keep to the agreement would lead to ‘certain actions’, the source said.

Vanguard was made to understand that up until when the investigation was concluded last week and the report submitted to the Attorney-General’s office for legal advice, Farouk had continued to insist that his colleagues would bring the money to him to hand over to the police.

It would be recalled that Vanguard reported last weekend that authorities of the Special Task Force investigating the $620, 000 bribery scandal concluded the investigation, had written its final report and submitted the case file to the Attorney- General’s office.

Consequently, Hon. Farouk Lawan who has been in the eye of the storm over the bribery allegation, is set to face a 15 count charge of conspiracy, bribery, corruption, and lying under oath among others.

However, contrary to the widely held belief that going by the provisions of the law, the giver and taker of bribe are liable to face criminal charges, Vanguard gathered that Chief Femi Otedola who gave the bribe might be a prosecution witness if the recommendations of the investigation report is approved by the Attorney-General.

While intimating Vanguard of a watertight case file owing to the fact that painstaking steps had been taken to plug any envisaged loophole in the report, sources disclosed that it will be difficult for the defence lawyers to arm-twist both Farouk Lawan and Boniface Emenalo the secretary of the committee from complicity in the allegation.

Vanguard gathered that among new addition to the charges included in the case file, were attachments detailing how Farouk Lawan collected and concealed the bribe monies from both the House Committee on Subsidy probe and the ploy to deceive investigators that he handed over the money to the chairman of the Financial Crimes Committee for safe keeping.

Asked if the non recovery of the hard cash of $620, 000 would not stand in the way of nailing the culprits in the scam, a source said, the Police is very optimistic that even though the $620,000 was not returned to be used as exhibit, there is overwhelming evidence to get conviction for the duo.

Recall that Hon. Lawan claimed in his statement to the Special Task Force (STF) that the $620,000 bribery money was handed over to the chairman House Committee on drugs and financial crimes, Adams Jagaba. Jagaba however rubbished the claim and challenged Lawan to prove how the money was given to him which he (Lawan) has so far failed to do.

phreakabit: Make Igbos fold hand dey watch jor. We had no allies. . . . We have no allies!

abouzaid: The 40 laptop squad have invaded nairaland with bakare and el rufai being their current project. The said group is a fly by night non entity that shouldn't even be published by any news media worth it salt. U guys should stop making nairaland more dull than it is already. As for karl max, many national leaders and kings in israel were prophets and kings. Besides u don't deserve to bear that name going by the way u reason. Pls read up on karl marx works or change id. I don't hold brief 4 anybody but i'm tired of all this lame propaganda going on daily here.

blacksta: Thank God a few Nigerians are still educated and not stupid and how did you arrive at your conclusion that El rufai is the BK spokes person. if you are looking for a spokes person - look no further than within the PDP party.

The battle over the ceding of Bakassi peninsula has taken a new dimension as a group named Bakassi Self Determination Front, has set up a radio station at Dayspring. The station is part of efforts by the group to ensure the liberation of Bakassi people as well as disseminate information on the activities of Bakassi people particularly on the ceding of the Peninsula.

The station started transmission on Monday, August 6 at 12 noon and operates on 4.2MHz and 5.2MHz band. Besides, the group had penultimate week hoisted its blue-white-red liberation flag dotted with stars at Daysprings. This is barley four days after the group had issued two weeks ultimatum to its people still living within the ceded territory to vacate or be crushed.

In a maiden broadcast, the Commander-General, Ekpe Ekpenyong Oku, said, “Please for the umpteenth time, we plead with our people to leave Abana now. The fight is going to be thickest and fieriest now that our Northern and eastern brothers have fully arrived. Bakassi we hail thee”.

He warned all travelers on the sea to stay away as from Saturday August 11 and Sunday, August 12, 2012 this week. He said, “No sea movement so that you don’t have cause to regret. There shall be no movement of boats from Ikang or Marina beach to Cameroon on these two days. Be warned.” Oku called on men of goodwill, individuals, human rights organisations and the indigenous people of Bakassi to join hands in resisting and fighting the present international conspiracy.

Earlier in a statement made available to newsmen in Calabar, Oku, had revealed that arrangements have been concluded with some international liberation groups to assist the Bakassi natives in the battle ahead. “Ours will be a classical story of the elephant and the ant. The elephant will soon be driven frantic with ants all over its enormous bulk. The elephant will be so harassed and will find no respite and will dash itself against a tree trunk”.

“Throughout history, injured people have had to resort to arms in their self-defense where peaceful negotiations fail. Bakassi people are no exception. Our right to self-determination is imminent; some will die, but some will live to reap from our labours,” the Commander-general stated.