Former AGF Adoke says his arrest in Dubal illegal, asks INTERPOL to free him
- Nigeria’s former AGF and minister of justice, Mohammed Adoke, said his arrest by INTERPOL is illegal and meant for unlawful and malicious purposes
- Adoke, who was arrested in Dubai, therefore, asked to be freed, adding that his detention violated INTERPOL’s constitution
- The former minister, through his lawyer, accused the federal government of persecution, saying a court order has absolved him from corruption allegations levelled against him
Nigeria’s former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and minister of justice, Mohammed Adoke, has described his arrest by INTERPOL as illegal and a form of political persecution.
Recall that Adoke was arrested in Dubai and has been in detention since Monday, November 11.
His arrest was in connection with corrupt allegations leveled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over his alleged involvement in the notorious Malabu oil deal.
Attempts to prosecute Adoke proved unsuccessful as the former minister has been on a self-imposed exile since 2015, a development that made EFCC seek INTERPOL’s request to issue a warrant of international arrest against him.
Adoke has, however, written the general secretariat of INTERPOL arguing that his arrest is illegal as it allegedly violated the international police's constitution which forbids it from intervening for political reasons, Premium Times reports.
According to the former minister, the Nigerian government’s request to get him arrested “was intended for unlawful and malicious purposes.”
Adoke’s lawyer, Femi Oboro, said his client is a victim of political persecution as a result of his former position in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Oboro added that a federal high court ruling in 2017 had exonerated Adoke and stated that the former minister’s alleged actions were in line with his lawful duties.
The Malabu Oil deal
The oil deal involved the transfer of a rich oil block, OPL 245, to Shell and Eni. However, instead of the Nigerian government being paid for the oil deal, the money, $1.1 billion, strangely went to a company called Malabu.
Malabu is allegedly controlled by Dan Etete, a former petroleum minister.
It was alleged that a huge chunk of the money was shared by some officials of Shell and Eni and some senior officials who worked for the former president, Goodluck Jonathan.
The oil firms and the indicted officials are being prosecuted in Italy for their roles in the scandal.
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Meanwhile, another report has indicated that the attorney-general of the federation, Abubakar Malami, may be aware of Adoke's arrest, contrary to his earlier claim that he had not been informed.
Documents obtained by Premium Times from the chambers of Mike Ozekhome showed that Adoke's lawyers had written Malami about the former minister's arrest.
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