Malabu oil scam: Adoke still in EFCC custody, fails to meet bail conditions

Former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Mohammed Adoke (SAN), is still in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, custody, 24 hours after he was granted security bail.

According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, Adoke is being detained at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja.

Acting spokesman of the anti-graft agency, Mr Tony Orilade, who confirmed the information when contacted, said Adoke was still being held because he had not met his bail conditions.

Orilade said, “He has yet to fulfill his bail conditions as we speak, hence he still in our custody.”

On January 23, the EFCC arraigned Adoke in a High Court in Abuja to answer 42 charges bordering on alleged fraud in the $1.1 billion Malabu oil deal.

Adoke was arraigned with Aliyu Abubakar, Rasky Gbinigie, Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, Agip, a subsidiary of Eni, Shell Nigeria Ultra-deep Limited, and Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited.

He is accused of receiving bribe worth N300 million from Aliyu over the deal for OPL 245, a charge he denied.

The presiding judge, Justice Abubakar Kutigi, on Thursday granted him bail in the sum of N50 million with a surety who must have a landed property in the FCT, and must provide evidence of tax clearance for the last three years.

Aliyu, who is the second defendant, also got a N50 million bail with one surety, while Gbinigie, the third defendant, got N10 million bail.

The judge also ordered the defendants to submit their passports to the court and also sign an undertaking to always attend trial sessions.