Mike Ozekhome, counsel to
Mohammed Bello Adoke, says the former attorney-general of the federation and
minister of justice was picked on arrival on Thursday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport Abuja by Interpol officials.
Adoke has now been moved into the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC).
Adoke had voluntarily returned to
the country after he was released by Dubai police following a legal deadlock on
Nigeria’s request to repatriate him to stand trial over the controversial OPL
245 transaction.
Ozekhome said Adoke “was picked up at the foot of the aircraft by
Interpol, refusing anyone access to him. He is believed to be on his way to the
Interpol office at Area 10, Garki, Abuja.”
The EFCC later released Adoke’s
picture on its Twitter handle.
Earlier, Ozekhome had issued a
statement announcing Adoke’s return and explaining why he chose to return to
the country.
THE FULL STATEMENT
AFTER MR MOHAMMED BELLO ADOKE’S
UNWARRANTED PERSECUTION, HE RETURNS TO NIGERIA VOLUNTARILY FOLLOWING LEGAL
GRIDLOCK
We are Solicitors to Mr Mohammed
Bello Adoke, former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice (“our client”).We
issue this statement on his clear instructions and mandate.
On the morning of Tuesday, 11th
of November, 2019, our client arrived Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE), for a
scheduled medical check-up. While he was undergoing immigration checks, he was
informed that Interpol had a Warrant to arrest him. He was shocked to his bones
and marrow. This is because although a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT) had issued a Warrant of Arrest against our client on the 17th of April,
2019, following an exparte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), the same Court had duly vacated the said arrest warrant
Order on the 25th of October, 2019, following our challenge of the exparte
order, and after robust court argument between EFCC (government) counsel and my
humble self. There was therefore no existing arrest warrant on which the
Interpol’s arrest was made. This was well reported by the media.
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. 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. It was very clear to them 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. It
must be pointed out that, Mr Adoke had been out of Nigeria voluntarily since
May, 2015, upon the expiration of his tenure as Honourable Attorney General of
the Federation and Minister of Justice. In his undertaking before the Dubai
authorities, Adoke signed as follows: “I would go to Nigeria authorities to
solve my problem, and without any stress or pressure from Dubai Police or
anyone.” He was not then under any investigation,nor charged before any court
of law by the EFCC or any other anti-graft agency howsoever. It was only on
21st December, 2016,nearly one and half years after he went to the Netherlands
to pursue his masters (LL.M) degree programme in Public International Law, with
specialization in International Criminal Law, at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands.
That the EFCC charged him before the FCT High Court on his alleged role in the
OPL 245 transaction. Our client verily believes he has done no wrong in merely
carrying out his statutory duties. Indeed, his houses in Kano and Okene in Kogi
state were extensively searched even in his absence, with the EFCC finding
nothing incriminating against Adoke.
While our client is thankful to
the Almighty God for seeing him through this unwarranted humiliation despite
its debilitating impact on his health, he hereby reiterates, for the umpteenth
time, that he is not and has never been afraid to face trail in Nigeria, over
any perceived role he played in the OPL 245 transaction. He believes he did no
wrong. The extent of his involvement as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation
at all material times, he insists, involved in merely giving out well founded
legal to the then government of the day regarding the transaction,as the then
Attorney General of the Federation and the Chief Law Officer. He had advised the
then to implement the extant and subsisting consent court judgement of a court
of Law, which had been voluntarily agreed upon and consented to between the
Government of Nigeria and. He had advised the then president to implement the
Consent Judgement of a court of law which was voluntarily agreed to between the
Federal Government of Nigeria and Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd, over the OPL 245
dispute of 2006. He insists that there was no abuse of office howsoever on his
part as Attorney General of the Federation. He has repeatedly said and he now
reiterates it again and again that he did not collect one kobo or any sum
howsoever,from the oil and gas transaction. He stands by this truism.
Indeed, it must be pointed out
that two witnesses who have testified at the ongoing trial of the oil companies
in Milan, Italy, have both exonerated MrAdoke. Mr Edan Tofikogly Agaev, a
former Russian Ambassador to Colombia, said he was pressured in to mentioning a
name in his interrogation by FBI and he consequently called Adoke’s name. He
has therefore refused to adopt or accept his involuntary statement which he
made. He therefore refused to adopt his involuntary statement he made to the
FBI in court. The other, Mr Vincenzo Armanna, a former ENI manager, who is also
on trial, told the same court that, our client that our client had in fact
threatened to arrested and prosecute ENI officials for attempting to negotiate
kickbacks in the transaction. Our client insists that this is the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Now that Mr Adoke has been
released by the Interpol and UAE/Dubai authorities after finding nothing
criminal against him, he will, by the special grace of God, based on our legal
advice, voluntarily return to Nigeria on Thursday, 19th of December, 2019, as
he had always insisted he would do when this patent persecution started. He is
already air-borne, as we write this piece, on his way to the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport, Abuja. Attached herewith are evidence of his
self-purchased flight tickets and the statement he signed before the
Interpol/Dubai/UAE authorities. He will also voluntarily report to the EFCC
upon his arrival in Nigeria, accompanied by some counsel from my chambers. Our
client remains very confident that he will be vindicated in the court of law
and justice at the end of the day, after a free and fair trial, devoid of the
usual media trial and conviction in the public space.
CHIEF MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN, OFR,
FCIArb, LL.M, LL.D, Ph. D
Counsel to Mr Mohammed Bello
Adoke, SAN
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