Court orders arrest of former AGF, ex minister of petroleum, four others

An Abuja High Court in Jabi, Abuja Wednesday ordered the arrest of the immediate-past attorney-general of the federation, Mohammed Adoke, a former minister of petroleum resources, Dan Etete, and four others.

Raph Wezels, Casula Roberto, Pujato Stefeno and Burrato Sebastino, and Aliyu Abubakar were the four others listed on the arrest warrant.

The six are named in the charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in relation to the $2.1bn Malabu Oil scam.

Justice Senchi issued the arrest warrant against the suspects following an ex parte application by the EFCC on Wednesday.

The anti-graft agency said the charges bordered on the fraudulent allocation of the Oil Prospecting Licence 245 and money laundering involving the sum of about $1.2bn, forgery of bank documents and bribery.

The alleged $1.2bn scam involved the transfer of the OPL 245 purportedly from Malabu Oil and Gas Limited to Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Co. Limited and Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited.

The three companies are defendants in the charges pending before the Federal High Court in Abuja.