N270m grass cutting allegation: SGF Babachir Lawal says he won't be honoring senate's invitation for questionning

Secretary to the government of the federation, Babachir Lawal, has written to the senate, saying he will not be appearing before its ad hoc committee on the humanitarian crisis in the north-east today.

Babachir was invited by the senate over the controversial N270 million he allegedly approved in his capacity as Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on North East PINE, for the cutting of grasses in some IDP camps.

In a letter addressed to the chairman of the senate's adhoc committee, Shehu Sani, Babachir says he will not be honoring the invitation because he has gone to court regarding the allegation.

“I wish to kindly request that you draw the attention of 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,” he wrote

Recall that the senate had called for his resignation, arrest and prosecution last December after he was indicted in the Senate's Interim Report on the Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East. President Buhari had replied the senate saying he cannot call for the arrest and prosecution of Babachir because he was not given fair hearing during the senate's investigation.