BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE
BENIN – A Benin based constitutional lawyer and Notary Public, Mr. Olayiwola Afolabi has called for the immediate arrest of the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Capital Markets, Mr. Herman Hembe for demanding bribe from the Director- General of the Nigerian Securities Exchange, Ms Aruna Otei.

Ms Otei while appearing before the Committee on Thursday, said that Mr. Hembe demanded for the sum of N44million bribe from her in addition to collecting estacode and other traveling allowances from SEC but never went for any travel nor returned the money.

However, Afolabi while reacting to the allegations made by the Director- General, SEC also called on the Speaker of the House, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal to immediately dissolve the Committee and other similar committees, saying that the revelation by Ms. Otei has indicated that Nigerians have lost confidence in probes carried out by the House.

According to him, “the revelation by Ms Otei coming after what happened at the Power probe by another Committee by Elumelu has showed that the House is not freed of allegations of corruption. The Speaker should therefore dissolve the Committees and similar others because Nigerians have lost confidence in them”

“He should also set up a probe panel to probe Committees that have engage in similar public hearings as what is emanating from the Committee on Capital Markets have shown that they have all been wreck with corruption”.

He commended Ms Otei for having the gut to reveal the behind the scene demand for bribe and called on other Chief Executive of Federal government owned parastatals to emulate her.