A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court in Abuja has issued a warrant of arrest against Mohammed Bello Adoke, former attorney-general of the federation, over the controversial OPL 245 deal executed by the federal government in 2011.
But in a response sent by email to online medium, The Cable, Adoke said he will fight the order in court because he had already been cleared of any wrong doing by a “competent court of law”.
“The honorable judge was misled by the EFCC to grant the warrant. Justice Binta Nyako ruled in April 2018 that I was only carrying out a presidential order in the OPL 245/Malabu transaction and that I had no case to answer. That naturally ends the EFCC case against me but the agency has chosen this path and I will use all legal means to exonerate myself,” he said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in a statement on Wednesday, said D. Z. Senchi, the presiding judge of the FCT high court, also granted its prayers for a warrant of arrest against Dan Etete, a former minister of petroleum.
Also to be declared wanted are Raph Wetzels, Casula Roberto, Pujato Stefeno, and Burrato Sebastiano.
They were all to be arraigned before Senchi on Wednesday over the Malabu case but did not show up in court.
In 2017, the EFCC filed charges against Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Co. Ltd, Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited, Eni Spa, Raph Wetzels, Casula Roberto, Pujato Stefeno, Burrato Sebastiano, Duazia Louya Etete (aka Dan Etete), Adoke, Aliyu Abubakar and Malabu Oil & Gas Limited.
On Wednesday, EFCC’s counsel, Aliyu Yusuf, brought a motion ex parte praying the court for a warrant of their arrest, and an order for leave to execute the warrant outside of the jurisdiction of the court.
Senchi granted the prayers of the EFCC, and ruled that the Nigeria Police, the INTERPOL and any other law enforcement agency should arrest them anywhere they are found.
He adjourned the matter till July 11, 2019 for further hearing.
Senate committee finally lays budget report
The senate committee on appropriations has laid the 2019 budget report.
The report was laid on Wednesday after Danjuma Goje, chairman of the senate appropriation committee, moved a motion.
The report ought to have been laid on Thursday but it was delayed because other standing committees had not submitted their report to the appropriation committee.
Senate President Bukola Saraki had given a deadline for the report to be laid last week Thursday and promised that the budget would be passed by April 16.
However, the delay in laying the budget report affected the passage of the budget.
Last week, Sunday Ogbuoji, vice-chairman of appropriations committee, said only 24 committees had submitted their reports.
“We are still having some challenges with the sub-committees on appropriations because out of the 61 committees that we have, only about 24 committees have submitted their reports and we are unable to go ahead and write the appropriation report unless we get further directive from here,” Ogbuoji said.
It is expected that the budget will be passed on Wednesday next week when the senate reconvenes from the Easter break.
President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2019 budget estimates to a joint session of the national assembly in December 2018.
