A former federal legislator from Kano State, Farouk Lawan, has been released from prison after serving a five-year sentence.
He was convicted for soliciting and accepting a bribe amounting to $500,000 during his tenure.
He was convicted for attempting to extort a $3 million bribe from Femi Otedola, a prominent billionaire oil tycoon in Nigeria.
This incident occurred while he served as the chairman of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating the fuel subsidy fraud scandal in 2012.
The case garnered widespread media attention, as it not only exposed the depths of corruption within the Nigerian political system but also raised serious concerns about the integrity of legislative oversight.
Spokesman of the Federal Capital Territory FCT Command of the Nigeria Correctional Service NCoS, Adamu Duza confirmed Lawan’s release.
“Yes, he has been released having served his sentence”, he said
In a statement, Lawan thanked God for his release which he said marks the beginning of a new chapter in his life.
He said; “I Thank Almighty Allah. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah.
“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life as I step out of Kuje Custodial Centre, with a heart full of gratitude to Allah SWT for seeing me through this trial.
“My gratitude is deep, I’m alive and in good health and high spirits to be with my family, friends and associates. I don’t take that for granted.
“I remain grateful and indebted to my family and friends who stood by me through this particularly trying phase of my life. May Allah bless you”.
GistReel reports that Lawan was sentenced by a Federal High Court judge in Abuja, Angela Otaluka.
She found the former legislator guilty of all the three counts of bribery.
The judge declared in the course of reading the judgment that Mr Lawan’s conduct had elements of corruption.