House of Rep member, Farouk Lawan, and the Secretary of the Ad Hoc
Committee on Monitoring of Fuel Subsidy Regime, Boniface Emenalo were remanded in prison custody on Friday, February
1 following their arraignment by the Independent Corrupt Practices and
Other Related Offences Commission for allegedly receiving $620,000 as
bribe from an oil mogul, Femi Otedola, when Farouk served as the
chairman of the committee.
Well, reports have it that Lawan remained reserved and withdrawn when he was booked into the prison by officials and didn’t eat.
Some news site report that his relations were making plans to reach an
understanding with the management of the prison to allow them bring in a
new mattress for the lawmaker who is to reappear in court February 8
when the court is to determine whether to grant or refuse their bail
application.
Meanwhile Punch reports that…
Findings indicated that when Lawan and Boniface Emenalo
got to the prison facility, the atmosphere changed as the inmates on
hearing about the calibre of the new detainees, were happy that their
living condition would change during the stay of the lawmakers.
A prison source who pleaded anonymity said, “Lawan and Emenalo were
kept in the same cell, but they have said they will not eat the general
food cooked in the facility. They have made arrangements to have their
food brought to them from home by their family members.
“The prison authorities are not according them any special privilege,
but being a lawmaker, Lawan cannot be treated like a common criminal
because of his status, and besides, they have not been convicted yet.”
The prison officials were said to have been briefed by their superior
officers on how to comport themselves throughout the lawmaker’s stay to
avoid leaving the VIPs with a poor impression of the prison Service and
its officials.
The Public Relations Officer, Nigerian Prison Service, Kayode
Odeyemi, could not be reached for comments as he was said to have
travelled out of the country.
