Court grants Adoke N50m bail on fresh 7 count charge

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday, granted former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke bail in the sum of N50m with one surety in like sum.

Mr Adoke along with his co-defendant, Aliyu Abubakar, were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Binta Nyako on a seven-count criminal charge bordering on fraud, corruption and money laundering in the region of N900 million and criminal diversion of funds in the Malabo oil deal.

After the duo pleaded not guilty to the charges, the EFCC counsel, Bala Sanga, urged the court to remand the defendants in the commission’s custody pending the hearing of the matter.

However, counsel to Adoke, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, and Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, asked the court to discountenance the EFCC’s request.

They both pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.

The former AGF was first arraigned in December 2019 over his alleged involvement in the Malabu oil scandal before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court upon his return to the country from Dubai.

Adoke’s lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, accused the anti-graft agency of holding his client “in permanent custody,” adding “This has further jeopardised his very poor and fragile health.”