Police go after Rep Farouk

Police investigators yesterday hinted they would be left with no option other than to arrest the chairman of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee on fuel subsidy probe Farouk Lawan for failing to appear for questioning over $620,000 bribery allegation.Chairman of Zenon oil Femi Otedola alleged that Faruk collected the money as bribe to let his company escape sanctions as the committee prepared to write its report after investigating billions of naira fraud in the subsidy regime.Faruk denied any wrong doing adding that he collected the money but as evidence of efforts by Otedola to bribe committee members.However Otedola said the whole transaction had been video-taped by security agents.Investigators of the Special Task Force at Force Headquarters Abuja summoned the duo for questioning. Otedola responded on Tuesday, answered questions for about an hour and was said to have also submitted video recording of the bribe taking.A police source said Faruk 'who ought to be the first to go to the police and clear his name refused to do so.' He said he will be given another chance to appear before the investigators and if he continues to be indifferent, the police will have no option than to arrest him.'It is not difficult to arrest him but he has to be given another chance,' he said, adding that investigators were taken aback by the law maker's inability to go for questioning or to even respect them by giving reasons he should not appear before the task force.He said Mr. Otedola das made some confession before the task force where he admitted giving the sum of $620,000 to Farouk while the committee's secretary Boniface Emenalo collected $120,000.A Video footage tendered before the task force by Otedola revealed that Faruk actually went to his house around 4am to collect his share. Also, Odetola had told the police that the ad hoc committee demanded the sum of $3 million from him to clear his company over the fuel subsidy scandal.He said he had protested because his company was not paid any subsidy since it trades in diesel not petrol but said he contacted security agents when Faruk became insistent in his demand.He said the police only want to substantiate the allegation or otherwise and particularly to know those who received the money either in bribe or as gift. Also, apart from Zenon oil, few other oil companies were said to have contacted the committee 'but that hasn't been found to be true yet.'He said police have gathered substantial evidence to prosecute the matter for now but some well-off individual have made attempts to interfere with the investigation requesting out-of-court solution. 'But no matter the pressure, the case will reach a logical conclusion.
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