Malabu scam: Court orders arrest of Adokie, Dan Etete, four others

Abiodun OBA |

Following an ex parte application by the EFCC on Wednesday, Justice Senchi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Jabi, Abuja on Wednesday, ordered the arrest of the immediate-past Attorney-General of the Federation Mr. Mohammed Adokie and six others.

They are a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dan Etete, Raph Wezels, Casula Roberto, Pujato Stefeno, Burrato Sebastino, and Aliyu Abubakar.

The six were named in the charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in relation to the $2.1bn Malabu Oil scam.

The Commission through its lawyer, Mr. Aliyu Yusuf, informed the judge that it had not been able to apprehend the suspects since 2016 and 2017 when it filed two sets of charges against them before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

According to the EFCC, the charges bordered on fraudulent allocation of the Oil Prospecting Licence 245 and money laundering involving the sum of about $1.2bn, forgery of bank documents, bribery and corruption.

The alleged $1.2bn scam involved the transfer of the OPL 245 purportedly from Malabu Oil and Gas Limited to Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Co. Limited and Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited.

The three companies are defendants in the charges pending before the Federal High Court in Abuja.