I acted on Jonathan’s instruction – Adoke

Aformer Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to declare that he acted on instruction in the $1.1bn Malabu Oil deal. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on December 20, 2016 filed a nine-count charge against Adoke, a former Petroleum minister Dan Etete and businessman, Aliyu Abubakar, over allegation of diverting of $1.1bn from an escrow account to private companies.

The companies are: Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, Rocky Top Resources Limited, Imperial Union Limited, Novel Properties and Development Limited, Group Construction Limited and Mega Tech Engineering Limited.

Adoke is arguing that he cannot be held personally liable for carrying out the lawful directives/ approvals of the then president (Goodluck Jonathan) during the new agreement on OPL 245 which was allocated to Malabu Oil.

In the originating summons brought by his lawyer, KanuAgabi (SAN), Adoke, who is out of the country, wants the court to declare his prosecution illegal, null and void and inconsistent with Section 5(1) of the 1999 Constitution.

While recalling his role during the execution of the Bloc 245 Resolution Agreement dated April 29, 2011, Adoke said he executed the oil deal in furtherance of the exercise of the lawful directives/ approvals of Jonathan in the exercise of his executive powers.

Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd had protested the outcome of the agreement which stripped it of ownership of the bloc involving Shell Ultra-Deep Deep Ltd (SNUD), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigeria-AGIP Exploration Ltd and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd, by writing the National Assembly and the EFCC. No date was fixed for hearing.