Former House of Representatives member, Farouk Lawan has regained his freedom after serving his jail term in Kuje prison.
He was released on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 following the completion of his five-year jail term in Kuje Prison.
In January, the Supreme Court had affirmed the five-year jail term handed to Lawan by the Court of Appeal
Lawan was convicted and sentenced to prison in 2021 for accepting a $500,000 bribe from businessman, Femi Otedola, in a sting operation by the businessman.
Lawan was accused of demanding $3 million from Femi Otedola to remove Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited (Otedola’s former company) from the list of oil companies allegedly involved in the petrol subsidy fraud in 2012.
He was arrested and then arraigned on seven counts of bribery by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for collecting $500,000 bribe from Otedola.
The charge was later amended to three counts. On June 22, 2021, Justice Angela Otaluka of a Federal capital territory High court in Apo, convicted Lawan on all three counts and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment.
Lawan then approached the Court of Appeal where the court discharged and acquitted the former lawmaker on two out of the three counts on which he was convicted.
The appellate court also reduced his jail term to five years from seven years.
The court however affirmed his conviction on the only remaining offence which the lower court punished with five years jail term.
Lawan then went to the Supreme court for his conviction to be squashed but his application was however dismissed by the court
