Grasscutting Scandal: Osinbajo’s Panel Grills Babachir Lawal For Over Two Hours

BEVERLY HILLS, April 25, (THEWILL) – Suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, on Tuesday appeared before the investigative panel headed by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, but left the panel looking unruffled.

President Muhammadu Buhari set up the committee last week to probe Lawal and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ayo Oke. Other members of the committee are: the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami and the National Security Adviser, NSA, Babagana Monguno.

Oke and Lawal were suspended last Wednesday. The suspended DG, who had appeared before the committee on Monday, was suspended over a huge cash recently discovered at Osborne House, Ikoyi, Lagos by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

THEWILL had exclusively reported that the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, had claimed ownership of the $43,449,947, £27,800 and N23, 218,000 seized last Wednesday by the EFCC from Osborne Towers, a luxury residential complex in Ikoyi, Lagos, said to be owned by ex-National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Adamu Muazu.

Lawal came under the hammer for allegedly mismanaging funds meant for the welfare of the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in the North-East through the Presidential Initiative on North East, PINE, under the control of the office of the SGF.

He had been indicted by a Senate committee investigating the mounting humanitarian crisis in the North-East.

But unlike the session with Oke on Monday which sprawled over eight hours, Lawal's meeting with the Osinbajo-led panel lasted for about two and half hours.

The suspended SGF emerged from meeting with the panel by 3:25pm, spotting a coffee brown, safari native dress with slip-on footwear.

He was seen fiddling with his phone as two aides, one a policeman in uniform, clutched a bulky file while the other in mufti, followed behind.