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Barely 24hrs after Obasanjo’s letter, EFCC invites, detains Babachir Lawal

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Embattled SGF Lawal chases away Senate officials who came to deliver invite

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has been detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) according to developing reports.

This is coming barely 24 hours after former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s explosive letter in which he accused President Muhammadu Buhari of nepotism, clannishness and accommodation of corruption.

Lawal reportedly arrived at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja around 11am, after which he was interrogated.

He was said to have been detained afterwards and would spend the night in the office of the anti-graft agency as his interview with the officials is scheduled to continue around 11am on Thursday.

The former SGF has been the subject of much criticism against the Buhari administration following his involvement in a scandalous grass-cutting contract in the Boko Haram-ravaged North-East.

Read also: Obasanjo has been too busy to notice Buhari’s achievements —FG

President Buhari had against public outcry and admonition delayed taking any action against Lawal for a long time. He finally set up an investigative panel headed by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo which later indicted the SGF.

This process was also greatly delayed, attracting criticism. Following Lawal’s eventual belated suspension by Buhari, a new criticism emerged as he was not invited by the EFCC while former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayo Oke, who was suspended with him, was invited.

Many will interpret this move by the EFCC as a hurried response to Obasanjo’s criticism, prodded by a presidency jolted by a frank and brutal reminder of its shortcomings and desperate to avoid the grave political consequence of unreasonable defiance.

 

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