THE chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, Honourable Adams Jagaba, on Thursday, warned embattled Honourable Farouk Lawan to stop blackmailing him over the alleged $3million bribery scandal that trailed him when he headed the House of Representatives ad hoc committee on the fuel subsidy probe.

He maintained that Lawan lied when he claimed that he gave him $620,000, being part-payment of the money he received from the oil magnate, Mr Femi Otedola.

The bribery scandal became public knowledge when Otedola spilled the beans that he bribed Lawan and his committee secretary with the sum of $620.000 being part payment of agreed $3 million the parties agreed to in the dollar-for-clearance saga.

In the heat of the dollar scam, Lawan had alleged that he wrote a letter to Jagaba and attached the money he collected from Otedola.

But at a press conference on Thursday, Jagaba debunked Lawan's claim, saying, “that is callously untrue and, in fact, calculated to smear my hard-earned reputation. A reputation I painstakingly built since 1999. I never received any letter, or money, or any other exhibit from Farouk Lawan."

Giving his account, Jagaba said, "I saw, for the first time, the purported letter on a page of the Leadership newspaper, page 6 of 14th June, 2012; and the closest copy, which I saw and touched, was the copy he presented to the Police Special Task Force (STF) investigating the bribery scandal, when I went there on 10th July, 2012.

"I was invited by the Police STF while in South Africa attending the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (Africa Region) Summit. When I returned to Nigeria, I went to the Police Force Headquarters on the 10th July, 2012, at about 11.00 a.m., to give my own side of the story on the bribery scandal investigation and I spent precisely two hours with them.

"On the 11th July, 2012, the Police STF graciously arranged for a meeting between Honourable Farouk Lawan and myself between the hours of 3.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. Farouk, in his opening remarks, stated that he reported the matter to me, because of my position as the chairman, House Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes and not because I was involved in the bribery saga. He also told the police that he involved me in the matter because he thought that, that would enhance his case in court. We faced each other before the Police STF. I then put the question: 'Honourable Farouk, did you give me $500,000 or any money for that matter?' This was a question the out-spoken Farouk could not answer. He kept mum till I left.

"The Police STF treated me professionally on the two occasions I appeared before them. I was not man-handled in any way. My constitutional rights were highly respected by the police STF.

"I was also invited by the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges today, being 12th July 2012 at 1.00 p.m., and I went and I asserted that I have not been given any letter or money as claimed by Honourable Farouk Lawan. I have no knowledge of such transactions and I am not in custody of any money or any other exhibit given to me by Farouk or any other person.

"I hereby make the following conclusions that the embattled Honourable Farouk Lawan was rather rattled by the revelation of the bribery scandal, hence, in his confused and highly tensed state, picked up his pen and paper at an ungodly hour of 03:47 a.m., wrote a letter (or so he claimed), as an afterthought, to the effect that he forgot to deliver the letter to the intended recipient, but rather chose to give it to a newspaper reporter and the Police Special Task Force (STF).

"Until and unless Honourable Farouk Lawan produces an authentic acknowledged copy of his letter, he should stop implicating my name and dragging it in the mud. It will be recalled that I displayed the sum of N4,500,000 bribe money on the floor of the House in 2001 when I was the committee chairman on anti-corruption. I did that as an act of patriotism, an act that truly laid the foundation for the war against corruption in Nigeria. I cannot and shall never be involved in an individualistic act that runs antithetical to national interest.

"Honourable Farouk Lawan should stop this blackmail forthwith or else, I will have no option but take the appropriate legal action against him and to seek compensation befitting my status. Enough is enough!," he said.

Comments (8)

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Prince
written by Akuzamus MG , July 13, 2012

Ewo.ooo! darkness has overtaken day light in the noon and the husband that went to bed with his wife woke up not recognizing her again. Abomination now walks naked in our market places and our elders and title chiefs are trying to cover it with their bare hands without appeasing the gods.Time was when men were men "Honorable" Lawan should have resigned form this House of Corruption and negotiate his custody into the Land of Silence.

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...
written by Dele Dipo, July 13, 2012

You can see now, one stupid lawyer calling himself a SAN was speaking a lot of Nigeria manufactured gramma on youtube. "The whole video was babasalarism awada kerikerism". I wonder what he is going to defend in court with this case, where the thief first deny that he did not collect money and letter on confessed by telling another lie that he gave it to another person. Now he can not tell the person to his face. Mr SAN you have a real difficult battle to fight

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Mr.
written by Gbolahan Philips, July 13, 2012

I know Mike Ozokhome (permit me for wrong spelling) as un serious lawyer. In fact it very difficult how he got his SAN. This is lawyer without integrity. Let me continue to defend Farouk Lawan and let us see how that will enhance his profile.

Farouk Lawn, you are finished. You did not plan this very smartly. Otedola proved to you that u are a small boy. He really nailed you. Go and commit suicide pls Lawan.

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Mr
written by Omotayo Oyeyipo, July 13, 2012

And what happened to the giver of that 2001 bribe?

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BRIBERY SCANDAL:JAGABA INISIST
written by oseni ariyo, July 13, 2012

"Until and unless Honourable Farouk Lawan produces an authentic acknowledged copy of his letter", Jagaba insists. whos foolling who? where as such type of acknowledgement letter been acknowledged? Well, Farouk has entered the trap and is now swimming in the troubled water alone. I wish his case serves as a lesson to others.

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Subsidy scandal
written by Akoson, July 13, 2012

Why did it take dis honorable man so long 2 react? Lawal should just be nd mention d rest of dm dat shared d money wt him nd stop suffering security agents. Period.

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comment
written by 0.b.j, July 13, 2012

Lawan question to you pls are you an adult or your using baby face to deceive Nigerians ? , but i wonder what will happen if you grown to adult but my advice to you is open confession or you dance the dance of a criminal, useless ABOKI

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subsidy scandal
written by sunmonu olaide, July 13, 2012

lawan farouk ole.....

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