Sacked SGF Babachir Lawal: arrested

Anti graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Wednesday evening arrested former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir Lawal.

EFCC Head of Enlightenment and Reorientation, Mr. Samin Amaddin confirmed that Babachir was arrested for abuse of office in relation to the diversion of funds meant for humanitarian intervention in the North-east.

“He is still in detention and will be here till tomorrow (today) when we will continue with the interrogation because he has not concluded his statement.”

It was learnt that Lawal arrived at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja around 11 a.m., after which he was interrogated.

The former SGF, who was dismissed by Buhari last October over the  December 14, 2016, Senate ad-hoc committee report on the mounting humanitarian crisis in the North-east which indicted him for fraud in a contract awarded for the clearing of “invasive plant species” in Yobe State through PINE.

Lawal supervises PINE as the SGF. The Senate investigation was spurred by allegation that PINE WAS unable to account for N2.5 billion allocated to it for the alleviation of the humanitarian crisis in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in the region.

The Senate ad-hoc committee, had in its report, alleged that Babachir spent N570 million to cut grass from PINE’s funds.

Rholavision Engineering Ltd, a company he had interest in was also said to have got suspicious payments of N200 million from the contract.

Rholavision’s bank statements and other documents showed that Josmon Technologies Ltd, a company that got the contract from PINE to clear grass for N248,939,231, made cash deposits of N10 million into Lawal’s company’s account 20 times from March 29.

The former SGF had claimed that he resigned from his company on August 15, 2015, but documents at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) showed that he was a director of Rholavision until September 16, 2016, when he wrote to the commission informing it of his intention to relinquish 1,500,000 ordinary shares.

His indictment in the contract scandal was also confirmed by a committee set up by the President headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The President had asked EFCC to take over investigations and prosecution of Lawal after he was sacked.

After sacking him, Buhari said he expected anti-graft agencies to go after him.

Updated