Farouk Lawan, the former federal legislator from Kano State, expressed his gratitude to God following his release on Tuesday after completing a five-year prison sentence for soliciting and accepting a $500,000 bribe.
Upon his release from Kuje Prison, Lawan said, “Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah. Today marks a new chapter in my life as I leave Kuje Custodial Centre, with a heart full of gratitude to Allah SWT for guiding me through this trial.”
He further expressed his deep appreciation for being alive, in good health, and in high spirits, allowing him to reunite with his family, friends, and associates.
“I don’t take that for granted,” he added.
Lawan also thanked his family and friends for their unwavering support during what he described as a particularly difficult period of his life, wishing them blessings from Allah.
Lawan had been convicted for attempting to extort a $3 million bribe from Nigerian billionaire oil tycoon, Femi Otedola, while he was the chairman of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating fuel subsidy fraud in 2012.
On appeal, the panel ruled that the prosecution failed to prove that Lawan had demanded or agreed to accept the sum from Otedola in order to remove his company from the list of indicted firms.
Lawan had been convicted on three charges brought against him by the federal government, receiving a sentence of five years each for the first two counts and seven years for the third, with all sentences to run concurrently.
While the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court initially sentenced him to seven years in prison, the Court of Appeal in Abuja later reduced the term to five years.
