Kingsley Omonobi
25 October 2012, Sweetcrude, ABUJA — THERE are indications that the Police are under intense pressure to charge Mr. Femi Otedola, the chairman of Zenon Oil and accuser of Hon. Farouk Lawan, erstwhile chairman of the House of Representatives Probe Committee, in the $1.3 million bribery allegation.
The position is that if at all Lawan is to be prosecuted, the oil magnate, who is also the chairman of the former African Petroleum, now Forte Oil, be charged along with him.
It was gathered that the delay in arraigning Lawan after months of conclusion of investigation on the matter followed intrigues and pressure being mounted on the government by top brass of the National Assembly to drop the charges against Lawan.
With government insistence that the matter was purely left for the Police to handle and that it will abide by Police findings, pressure is now mounting on the police to also charge Otedola over the matter.
Sources said this may lead to the Federal Government intervening to give Lawan a safe landing.
However, Lawan, the embattled former chairman of House Adhoc Committee on fuel subsidy probe, has continued to report to the police authorities in compliance with his bail condition which says he should be reporting twice a week to the police.
Consequently, a register was opened for him, which he has been signing every time he reports to the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
Sweetcrude gathered that so far, he has obeyed the directive diligently and signed attendance register about 40 times.
When he visited the Force Headquarters, Wednesday, Lawan, clad in a milk-coloured kaftan, was seen signing the register.
