Farouk Lawan, a former member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, has regained his freedom after completing a five-year prison sentence at the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja. Lawan, once a prominent figure in the nation’s legislature, was convicted in 2021 on charges of bribery in connection with the 2012 petrol subsidy fraud investigation.
Lawan, who chaired the House ad-hoc committee probing the multi-billion naira subsidy fraud, was found guilty of accepting a $500,000 bribe from businessman Femi Otedola. The bribe was part of an alleged $3 million demand to exclude Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited, Otedola’s former company, from a list of companies implicated in the subsidy scam.
Video footage that surfaced at the time showed Lawan receiving the bribe, which he was seen concealing in his traditional Babbanriga attire and under his cap. The evidence proved pivotal in his eventual conviction by Justice Angela Otaluka of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, who sentenced him to seven years in prison on three counts of bribery.
However, in February 2022, the Court of Appeal reduced Lawan’s sentence to five years after discharging him on two of the three counts. In January 2024, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction on the remaining count, sealing his fate and confirming his sentence.
Following his release on Tuesday, Lawan issued a statement expressing his gratitude: “Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life as I step out of Kuje Custodial Centre. I am filled with gratitude to Allah SWT for guiding me through this trial.” He also thanked his family and friends for their unwavering support, adding, “I remain grateful and indebted to those who stood by me during this trying phase of my life.”
Lawan’s release marks the end of a controversial chapter in Nigeria’s political landscape, as he was a central figure in the high-profile subsidy fraud investigation that exposed widespread corruption in the country’s oil sector.