Lawan at Force Hqtrs, expresses disappointment with colleagues ( Vanguard )

ABUJA —The embattled erstwhile Chairman of the House probe committee on the fuel subsidy regime, Mr Farouk Lawan, yesterday, reported at the Force Headquarters in conformity with his bail conditions and insisted before the Police investigators that he handed over the $620, 000 bribe money to Adams Jagaba, House Committee Chairman on Narcotics and Financial Crimes.
Farouk, who came to the Force Headquarters at about noon, immediately walked into the office of the detectives, investigating the $620,000 bribery allegation, given to him by Zenon Oil Chairman, Mr Femi Otedola.
Though details of his discussions with the Police were kept secret, Vanguard gathered from sources that Lawan also pleaded for more time to enable him return the money, regretting that his colleagues in the lower chamber particularly Jagaba disappointed him by denying that he received the money from him (Farouk).
Optimistic of returning bribe money

 

The source revealed that Lawan was optimistic that he would be able to retrieve the money and return it to the police.
Regarding the non return of the $120,000 received by the secretary of the committee, Boniface Emenalo, the source said he told the Police that his $120,000 was handed over to his chairman, Lawan, immediately after collecting it from Otedola.
Police invite probe c’ttee members
Meanwhile, in continuation with the investigation, Vanguard gathered that detectives have formally invited all members of the fuel subsidy probe committee to the Force Headquarters to make statements on their financial dealings with petroleum marketers who appeared before the probe panel.
It was gathered that the invitation of the entire members of the probe committee may not be unconnected with new petition and complaints from other oil marketers to the Special Task Force that they were forced to part with other bribe monies in several foreign and local currencies amounting to about N11billion in total.