Adoke, former Attorney-General returns from self-exile

 

• To submit self to EFCC

 

BY OUR EDITOR

Former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of the Federation under Goodluck Jonathan administration, Mohammed Bello Adoke, is reportedly on his way back to Nigeria, breaking over four years of self-imposed exile.

Adoke, who had been in the eye of the storm over the protracted legal battle involving the OPL 245 transaction, was arrested last month in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, by the Interpol following a warrant of arrest issued on him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He was said to have travelled to Dubai for medical treatment.

According to a statement by his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Adoke was arrested in Dubai against the fact that a court of competent jurisdiction had duly vacated the said arrest warrant order on the 25th of October, 2019.

“Our client duly showed Interpol officials copies of the certified Court Order by Hon. Justice Danlami Z. Senchi. He also showed them the 17th of April, 2018, judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered by the Hon. Justice Binta Nyako, to the effect that our client could not be held liable for obeying lawful presidential directives on the OPL 245 transaction.

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“The Interpol officials, however, said only the Warrant of Arrest was communicated to them by the Federal Government, and not any of these overriding court processes.

“The vacation and setting aside of the warrant of arrest order made by Honourable Justice D. Z. Senchi was curiously not communicated to the Interpol or the UAE authorities.

“But they insisted that they could only deal with the Nigerian government, which must first communicate to them, the said vacation and setting aside of the warrant of arrest.

“Our client told them that he was ready to return to Nigeria on his own accord after his medicals; yet, they still kept him in illegal custody for over one month, after running into a legal logjam,” Ozekhome explained.

He said it was clear to the Dubai police that the Government of Nigeria did not have any legal basis or grounds to extradite Mr Adoke back to Nigeria.

“Adoke, based on our legal advice, has therefore decided to break this unnecessary logjam and simulated stalemate that are already causing Nigeria international embarrassment by buying his own ticket to return to Nigeria voluntarily and peaceably, instead of going to another country of his choice,” Ozekhome said.

The former chief law officer of the Federation, according to Ozekhome, will be returning to Nigeria Thursday through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

“He will also voluntarily report to the EFCC upon his arrival in Nigeria, accompanied by some counsel from my chambers,” Ozekhome said, adding that Adoke “remains very confident that he will be vindicated in the court of law and justice at the end of the day.”