Senate stops investigation of Babachir after shunning appearance before lawmakers

The Nigerian Senate has dropped its planned investigation of Secretary to the Government of the Federation David Babachir Lawal and his company Rholavision over alleged contract scandal.

Senate drops investigation of Babachir after shunning appearance

The Senator Shehu Sani-led ad-hoc committee says it does not know yet when it will continue investigations

Premium Times reports that this was confirmed by Lawal Bagaudu, the clerk to the Senator Shehu Sani-led ad-hoc committee on the humanitarian crisis in the northeast, who also said that no new date had been fixed.

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One of the reasons for the postponement is that Rholavision said in a letter to the committee that its managing director had not been reachable since he travelled to the village over the death of a relation.

“(The hearing) has been postponed to a later date because the MD of Rholavision company must attend,” said Bagaudu.

NAIJ.com recalls that Babachir, who was billed to appear before the ad-hoc committee on Thursday, March 23 to explain accusations leveled against him about illegal contracts at some Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the northeast, has said he will not do so.

Senate stops investigation of Babachir after shunning appearance before lawmakers

Babachir says he is contesting the right of the Senate to summon him in court and so cannot appear before the ad-hoc committee

Babachir Lawal wrote to the Senate that he would not be appearing before it even though he has been summoned.

The secretary to the government of the federation was invited by the Senate ad hoc Committee on Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East investigating allegations of misappropriation of funds for rehabilitation of the region after he was indicted of corruption-related charges.

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He wrote: “I wish to kindly request that you draw the attention of the other members of the committee that I will not be able to appear before the committee primarily because I have gone to court to challenge the invitation among others.