Former House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan has been freed from Kuje Prison after completing a five-year jail sentence.
Once a well-known politician in Nigeria, Lawan was found guilty in 2021 of taking a $500,000 bribe from Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd. chairman and business magnate Femi Otedola.
Many have cited Lawan’s precipitous decline from power as the reason why his release has rekindled conversations about accountability and corruption in Nigeria.
Following a legal struggle that resulted in the Supreme Court upholding his sentence earlier this year, he was found guilty.
Justice John Okoro led the five-member panel of justices that unanimously rejected Lawan’s appeal. “The evidence against Lawan was overwhelming,” said Justice Tijjani Abubakar in the main judgement.
Lawan’s five-year term on corruption allegations was upheld by the Supreme Court, which said, “The judgement of the Court of Appeal stands.”
Lawan rose to notoriety before his collapse as the chair of the House Committee on Fuel Subsidy.
Due to his conviction in a well-known bribery case, Nigeria’s political landscape was rocked.
A video that was circulated on Tuesday showed Lawan being released from prison, sparking fresh discussions on the nation’s continuous battle against corruption.
