Malabu Scandal: Former AGF Adoke Takes 1st Move Against Arrest Warrant

The former minister of justice, Mohammed Adoke, has asked a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Jabi, to vacate a bench warrant issued against him.

Naija News recalls that the court had ordered the arrest of Adoke alongside a former minister of petroleum, Duazia Louya Etete, popularly known as Dan Etete and four foreigners, following a failure to turn up for their arraignment in a fraud charge relating to the Malabu oil scandal.

Ruling on the ex-parte motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on April 17, Justice D. Z. Senchi, ordered that the Nigeria police, the INTERPOL and any other law enforcement agency should arrest them anywhere they were found.

It was, however, gathered that in a motion on notice filed before the court through his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome on Tuesday night, April 23, Adoke told the court to vacate the order on the grounds that the court lacked the jurisdiction to have granted the order in the first instance.

The EFCC had since 2017 pressed charges against Shell Nigeria exploration production co. ltd, Nigeria Agip exploration limited, Eni Spa, Raph Wetzels, Casula Roberto, Pujato Stefeno, Burrato Sebastiano, Etete, doke, Aliyu Abubakar and Malabu oil and gas limited. In the suit marked: FCT/HC/CR/124/17, all the defendants repeatedly failed to appear before the court.

Following their repeated absence in court, the EFCC through its counsel, Aliyu Yusuf, brought a motion praying the court for a warrant of their arrest, and an order for leave to execute the warrant outside of the jurisdiction of the court.

It was gathered that on April 17, according to the EFCC, Judge Senchi granted the prayers of the anti-graft agency, and ruled that the Nigeria Police, the INTERPOL and any other law enforcement agency “should arrest them anywhere they were found including outside jurisdiction of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) High Court”.