The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) has released the former Secretary to the Government of the
Federation, Mr Babachir Lawal, on bail.
Lawal, who has been in EFCC
custody since Wednesday, was released on bail on Friday evening.
His detention happened barely 24
hours after former President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote a strongly-worded letter
to President Muhammadu Buhari, accusing him of condoning corrupt practices
among his allies.
This prompted speculations that
Lawal was detained because of Obasanjo’s letter.
But the EFCC denied such claim,
saying it had nothing to do with Obasanjo’s letter and that both incidents were
coincidental.
Lawal’s travails began on
December 14, 2016, when the senate ad-hoc committee on humanitarian crisis in
the north-east indicted him of fraud.
He was implicated in a
grass-cutting contract awarded to his company, for the clearing of “invasive
plant species” in Yobe state, through the Presidential Initiative on Northeast
(PINE).
He was accused of using his
company Rholavision Engineering Ltd for a contract for the clearing of evasive
plant species in Yobe.
Lawal’s crime, according to the
ad-hoc committee, included his alleged spending of N570 million to cut grass.
President Muhammadu Buhari later
set up a panel headed by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to probe the allegations.
The Osinbajo report did not
exculpate Lawal whose appointment Buhari terminated and appointed Boss Mustapha
as replacement.
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