Court fixes Dec 12 to hear Adoke’s suit against EFCC

A federal capital territory high court has scheduled December 12 for hearing of the motion filed by Mohammed Adoke, former attorney-general of the federation (AGF), challenging the charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC).

Mike Ozekhome, counsel to Adoke, made this known on Wednesday.

In an application, Adoke had asked the court to strike out his name from the OPL 245 case the EFCC filed against him.

The former AGF said it is erroneous to include his name as a defendant in the suit when the federal high court in Abuja had already exonerated him from the matter.

An FCT high court had issued a warrant of arrest against Adoke and four others on April 17, 2019, following a request by the EFCC over the OPL 245 deal executed by the federal government in 2011.

However, following an application by Adoke’s lawyers, the court, presided over by D. Z. Senchi, vacated the warrant on October 25, 2019, declaring it “null and void and of no effect whatsoever”.

But in November, Adoke was held by Interpol in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, following confusion over the warrant of arrest that had already been vacated.

In a statement on Wednesday, Ozekhome said the charges for which Adoke is currently being detained by the Interpol in Dubai was initiated by “a misinterpretation” by the EFCC.

Ozekhome said concealing the fact of the case from the court is “a gross misstatement, misrepresentation, concealment and suppression of material facts” by the EFCC.

“Justice Danladi Senchi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Wednesday adjourned hearing of the application filed by a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke SAN, seeking to remove his name from the Malabu Oil scam trial,” he said.

“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had in 2017 filed charges against Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited and 10 others, including Adoke and Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited.

“The former minister, who is currently being held under Interpol’s detention in Dubai, UAE, hinged the prayer, among others, on the fact that he had secured a judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, against the Attorney-General of the Federation, representing the Federal Republic of Nigeria in which he was completely exculpated with respect to the facts and circumstances relating to the Malabu Oil scam.”