Justice D.Z. Senchi of a FCT High Court, Jabi has granted prayers of the EFCC, and issued a warrant of arrest against Dan Etete, ex-Minister of Petroleum and Mohammed Adoke, ex-AGF implicated in the Malabu Oil Deal. They are to be arrested anywhere they are found.
This is not the first time an arrest warrant has been issued and coming 10 days after an expected presentation by the ENI experts are expected on April 10.
The Duo and the 4 others were being prosecuted alongside Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company, and ENI, as well as Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd, Rocky Top Resource Ltd, Imperial Union Ltd, Novel Properties & Dev. Co. Ltd, Group Construction Ltd, and Megatech Engineering Ltd.
EFCC operatives
Although Mr Adoke has consistently claimed that he is being persecuted, he has declined to appear in Nigeria to face trial. Last year, the EFCC said it had begun moves to extradite the former official.
Recall that the Malabu scandal involved the transfer of about $1.1 billion by Shell and ENI through the Nigerian government to accounts controlled by the former Nigerian petroleum minister, Dan Etete.
From accounts controlled by Mr Etete, about half the money ($520 million) went to accounts of companies controlled by Aliyu, popularly known in Nigeria as the owner of AA oil.
Last month, Mr Aliyu appeared as a witness before the court in Italy.
Mr Aliyu’s trial in Nigeria according to Premium Times is being stalled because Nigeria’s anti-graft agency said he and other principal suspects have been on the run.
Anti-corruption investigators and activists suspect he fronted for top officials of the Jonathan administration as well of officials of Shell and ENI.
The transaction was authorised in 2011 by Mr Jonathan through some of his cabinet ministers and the money was payment for OPL 245, one of Nigeria’s richest oil blocks.
