SAN FRANCISCO, January 21, (THEWILL) – The Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has concluded plans to declare the immediate past Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke wanted in connection with the $1.1bn Malabu Oil deal.
He would be declared wanted alongside top officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration with regards to the various ongoing corruption investigations, as well as the ThisDay publisher, Nduka Obaigbena, for reportedly receiving N670m from former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
Sources in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, told Premium Times that Adoke is required to answer questions about his role in facilitating the transfer of the huge sum, paid by oil giants Royal Dutch Shell and Eni, to accounts operated by a former petroleum minister and convicted felon, Dan Etete.
Obaigbena, who chairs the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, had, in his letter to the EFCC, claimed that part of the money was meant for compensation for Boko Haram attacks on his newspaper offices in Abuja and Kaduna, while another N120m was on behalf of 12 other newspapers who asked to be compensated for the “unlawful seizure and stoppage of circulation by armed soldiers in Abuja and several cities”.
However, some of the newspapers have denied receiving money from the newspaper body, NPAN, while some others have returned to the association the money they were paid after it was revealed that the payment was made from the alleged stolen N2.1bn meant for the procurement of arms to fight Boko Haram.
