By Kolawole Ojebisi
Farouk Lawan, a former member of the House of Representatives, has regained freedom from the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja, speaking on a number of issues with respect to his ordeal in jail.
The former legislator made this known in a statement he personally signed, on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.
“Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah. Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life as I step out of Kuje Custodial Centre, with a heart full of gratitude to Allah SWT for seeing me through this trial.
“My gratitude is deep, I’m alive and in good health and high spirits to be with my family, friends and associates. I don’t take that for granted.
“I remain grateful and indebted to my family and friends who stood by me through this particularly trying phase of my life. May Allah SWT bless you,” the statement read.
Farouk Lawan served four terms in the House of Representatives and was touted as a potential governor of Kano until he was caught in a bribery scandal that landed him in jail.
He was the poster boy of the green chamber. At the height of his influence, Lawan served as the chairman of an ad hoc committee that investigated fuel subsidy scam. It turned out to be his Waterloo.
His voice used to be strident in condemnation of corruption and injustice.
Lawan earned himself the sobriquet “Mr Integrity” when he led a group of lawmakers known as ” The Integrity Group” to make allegation of financial malfeasance against former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Patricia Olubunmi Etteh.
After an investigation into the case, Etteh and her deputy, Babangida Ngoruje were forced to resign their positions.
But Lawan’s ordeal started when he served as the Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy Regime.
He was arraigned in 2013 after he allegedly demanded a bribe of $3million from billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, who accused him of receiving the sum of $500,000.
The bribe was said to help influence the removal of the name of his oil company from the list of indicted companies in the fuel subsidy scam of 2012.
On an appeal by Lawan, the panel held that the prosecution failed to prove that he demanded and agreed to accept the sum from Otedola, to exonerate his company from the list of indicted firms.
Lawan was convicted on the three count charges preferred against him by the federal government with a sentence of five years each for the first two counts, and seven years for the last count, all to run concurrently.
A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court had sentenced him to seven years in prison but the Court of Appeal in Abuja reduced the jail term to five years.
