EFCC will detain Ex AGF Adoke for 2 weeks over Malabu oil deal

Having secured the court's approval, Adoke who has since 2016 been linked with the $1.1 billion Malabu Oil scam, will be taken into custody by the EFCC for a maximum period of two weeks.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday, December 20, 2019, secured the permission of a Federal High Court in Abuja, to detain the former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Adoke, for 14 days.

Punch reports that Justice Othman Musa granted the request contained in an ex parte application filed and moved by EFCC lawyer, Fatima Mustapha.

Explaining why it's pertinent to secure the court approval, Mustapha stated that the plan to hold the former AGF was to enable the EFCC to complete its investigations of allegations involving the suspect. After spending five weeks in the custody of the International Criminal Police Organization, commonly known as Interpol, Adoke returned to the country on Thursday, December 19, 2019, to end his over four-year-old self-exile.

What you should know about Malabu

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had filed fraud charges against the former Attorney-General over a shady ‎$1.1 billion oil deal.

Former Minister of Petroleum, Dan Etete, was also indicted in the Malabu oil deal.The anti-graft agency also filed charges against Dan Etete, former petroleum minister, and a businessman, Abubakar Aliyu, for their involvement in the oil deal.

Adoke and former Minister of State for Finance, Yerima Ngama, were said to have approved the transfer of about $1.1 billion into Nigerian accounts controlled by Etete.

Following a warrant of arrest requested by the EFCC over the controversial OPL 245 deal, a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja issued the warrant against Adoke, alongside others who were indicted in the shady deal.

An application by Adoke's lawyers, however, prompted the court, presided over by D. Z. Senchi, to vacate the warrant on Friday, October 25, 2019, thereby declaring it “null and void and of no effect whatsoever”.

According to The Cable, while the first order was sent to Interpol by the EFCC, the vacating order was not transmitted, which triggered confusion for Interpol.

A source familiar with the matter was quoted to have said the police are asking for a certified copy of the vacating order before they can release him and allow him to proceed for his medicals.