Malabu: Court orders EFCC to take custody of Adoke, others

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Gwagwalada, Thursday ordered the remand of a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Mohammed Adoke SAN, and two of his co-defendants in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Adoke was arrested by the EFCC on his return to Nigeria from a four-year exile on December 19, 2019, and he is being tried alongside others over their alleged involvement in the Malabu Oil scam.

He has since been in the detention of the EFCC and was produced in court  Thursday.

At the resumed trial, the seven defendants, four of whom are corporate organizations, pleaded not guilty to the 42 counts instituted against them by the EFCC.

The EFCC accused Adoke, as AGF, of playing a pivotal role and receiving bribe to facilitate a fraudulent deal between Malabu and Shell with Agip over the oil block.

After the 42 counts were read to the defendants and they pleaded not guilty to the charges, on Thursday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s prosecuting counsel, Mr. Bala Sanga, urged the court to remand them in prison.

Sanga also urged the court to fix a date for trial.

But the defence lawyers, including Mike Ozekhome(SAN), Kanu Agabi (SAN), Sole Olanipekun (SAN), and Mahmud Magaji (SAN), urged the judge to either release their clients to them or order that they be remanded in with the EFCC.

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