Lawal quizzed by Osinbajo committee, leaves Aso Villa unfazed

Lawal quizzed by Osinbajo committee, leaves Aso Villa unfazed

Suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal who appeared before the Presidential Committee investigating his role in an alleged corruption case on Tuesday left the panel, looking unruffled.

He had arrived the Presidential Villa, Abuja, venue of the meeting at about 1pm to answer questions from the 3-man committee headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Lawal who was suspended last week Wednesday by President Muhammadu Buhari was allegedly found complicit in the mismanagement of funds meant for the welfare of the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs in the north east through the Presidential Initiative on North East, PINE under his control.

It will be recalled that the Committee which also has the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami and the National Security Adviser, NSA, Babagana Monguno as members on Monday grilled the Director-General of National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ambassador Ayo Oke who was suspended alongside Lawal on Wednesday over a huge cash discovered at Osborne House, Ikoyi, Lagos by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC recently.

Unlike the session with Oke that sprawled beyond 8 hours, Lawal’s meeting with Osinbajo’s panel lasted only for two and half hours.

Emerging from the meeting at 3:25, Lawal was seen walking around the lobby upstairs at Osinbajo’s office, apparently searching for someone.

He also pulled out his cell phone and made some calls.

Later, he went inside but after 5 minutes, Lawal who dressed casually, spotting a coffee brown, safari native dress with slip-on was seen descending the stairs, fiddling with his phone with two aides, one a policeman in uniform clutching a bulky file and the other in mufti, following behind.

After about 30 minutes of the suspended SGF exit from the premises, our correspondent sighted the duo of the AGF and NSA walking side-by-side at the lobby upstairs into another office.

It was not known whether they went back inside to review the files. VANGUARD