$620,000 Bribe: Jagaba Threatens To Sue Lawan

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, Hon Adams Jagaba (PDP-Kaduna), has threatened that he would take legal action against the embattled former Chairman of the House Committee on Subsidy Regime Probe, Rep Farouk Lawan, if he continues with the claim that he gave him money.

Jagaba, who said this yesterday in Abuja while denying, for the umpteenth time, of taking custody of any money or letter as alleged by Rep Farouk Lawan, said “Farouk Lawan should stop this blackmail forthwith or else, I will have no option than to take the appropriate legal action against him and to seek compensation befitting my status.”

The lawmaker emphasised that Lawan neither wrote a letter nor attached money to any document to him as an individual or in his capacity of committee chairman.

According to him, “I have no knowledge of such transactions and I am not in custody of any money or any exhibit given to me by Farouk or any other person.”

He said the allegation by Lawan was aimed at smearing his hard-earned reputation, and warned that the embattled lawmaker should not draw him into the bribery scandal.

“There was never a time I was in possession of the sum of $620,000 or any other exhibits in my personal capacity or official capacity as chairman, House Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes relating to the subject matter in the investigation,” he said.

He added that, “I never received any letter, or money or any other exhibit from Farouk Lawan.”

Jagaba noted that he only saw the purported letter for the first time on a page of Leadership newspaper.

The legislator said that the said letter was neither delivered to his office at the National Assembly nor his constituency office.

The Tide recalls that Lawan had alleged that he attached $500,000 to a letter he wrote to Jagaba, and several attempts by investigating security operatives, particularly the police to get Lawan to tender the said money have proved abortive.