Interpol ‘Detains’ Ex-Attorney General Adoke In Dubai

Interpol has reportedly detained former Nigeria attorney-general, Mohammed Bello Adoke, in Dubai, Investigative online newspaper, PREMIUM TIMES is reporting.

Adoke was arrested following a warrant against him by Justice D. Z. Zenchi of the Federal Territory High Court in April following an ex-parte application by the EFCC.

Adoke has been on the wanted list of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over claims that he was involved in the controversial OPL 245 deal executed by the federal government in 2011.

Mr Adoke strongly denies links to the alleged fraud and has been on self-exile since vacating office in May 2015.

But the online newspaper on Sunday reports that people familiar with the development said Mr Adoke was arrested shortly after arriving in Dubai on November 11.

He had travelled to Dubai for medical evaluation after a court warrant for his arrest was vacated in October.

Justice Zenchi had invalidated the arrest warrant on October 25 based on prayers from Mr Adoke’s lawyers who argued that the order was wrongfully procured.

But since his arrest, Nigerian authorities have failed to update Interpol overseas of the development on the case.

Mr,. Adoke had told Interpol officials in the United Arab Emirates, UAE, that the warrant for his arrest had since been vacated and that there was no basis to hold him, PREMIUM TIMES reported.

The newspaper quoted a source as saying that Interpol authorities in the UAE have now requested the Nigerian authorities to officially update them on the matter.

The Ministry of Justice in Abuja has been working on transmitting the order to Interpol in Dubai to secure Mr Adoke’s release, but the process was being delayed because Attorney-General Abubakar Malami was not available, sources said.