A crooked Nigerian lawmaker who wore the garb of a saint will stay in detention for at least a week after the country’s government bowed to pressure and took him to court.

Farouk Lawan was widely known as Mr. Integrity until a bribery saga stripped him naked. This morning, the former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Education was arraigned before a high court in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission following a late approval by the country’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke. The remanded him in prison custody till next week Friday, February 8, when the case will come up agan. The same fate was handed down to the co-accused, House of Reps Clerk, Mr. Emenalo Boniface.

Lawan’s downfall started when he compromised himself while serving as Chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee on the Monitoring of the Fuel Subsidy Scheme. He was exposed by Femi Otedola, the Chairman of Zenon Oil and Gas Limited, who accused him of demanding and accepting a bribe of $620,000 to alter the report of the committee, which indicted Zenon.

After the Nigerian Government failed to arraign him despite public outcry, constitutional lawyer, Festus Keyamo, last week entered a four-count criminal charge against Farouk following the expiration of the one-week ultimatum he gave the government to try the disgraced lawmaker.

Tension further mounted two days ago when a group of activists under the aegis of the Anti-Corruption Network led by former Rep. Dino Melaye staged a demonstration at the country’s Supreme Court premises to demand Farouk’s trial.

•Photo: Disgraced Farouk Lawan.