The police yesterday began a hunt for the $600,000 cash allegedly collected as bribe from oil marketer, Mr Femi Otedola by the embattled former chairman of the House of Representatives had hoc committee on fuel subsidy payments, Farouk Lawan even as hope dimmed for his release from detention.
Saturday Sun gathered that the decision to keep Lawan in custody followed his refusal to disclose to his team of police interrogators led by CP Amodu Alli where the alleged bribe money is kept. His failure to disclose the whereabouts of the money was also said to have informed the decision to seach his Apo legislative quarters residence by police detectives for about two hours yesterday.
Sources told Saturday Sun that the raid on Lawan’s house located on Ogbonnaya Onu Close, Apo Legislators’ Quarters, Abuja, led to the seizure of his diplomatic passport and $10,000 found in the house.
Associates of the embattled law maker last night faulted the refusal of the police to grant him bail in spite of appeals for such from his lawyers. “Why is Lawan in detention and Otedola not? If it was bribe, there must have been a giver. This is an attempt to cow and humiliate him. The police are acting out a script handed them weeks ago from the Villa,” one of them complained last night.
National co-ordinator of Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko told Saturday Sun that he learned of the police raid on Lawan’s house, but expressed the hope that such was done with a valid court warrant.
“We are waiting for 48 hours. They can’t keep him beyond 48 hours. I want to believe the raid on his house was with a valid court warrant or else that would amount to criminal trespass,” he declared. As the search for the money continues, the police confirmed that the embattled lawmaker will have to spend the weekend in custody, pending the conclusion of investigation into the allegation against him.
Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, told Saturday Sun that even though investigation is still ongoing the legislator has not been denied any of his fundamental human rights as he is being allowed access to his lawyers, friends and family members who may want to visit him in custody. According to the police spokesman “he (Farouk) is still with us, he came in late Thursday and investigation is ongoing. This is weekend and you know that no court sits on weekend so we cannot take him to court, so he will have to remain with us till next week when we will charge him to court.
Source: Sunnews online
Written by CODED-ish
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