A former Justice Minister and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Adoke has been released by the International Police Organisation (INTERPOL) from Dubai, the United Arabs Emirate (UAE) where he had been held.
According to The Nation, his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) said, in a statement on Thursday, that Adoke was released and allowed to return home when the INTERPOL found that there was nothing against him.
Ozekhome said his client, who is expected to arrive Nigeria on Friday, was wrongly detained but was let off upon his undertaking to return to Nigeria to have the issues against him resolved.
The statement reads in part: “We are solicitors to Mr Mohammed Bello Adoke, former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice (“our client”). We issue this statement on his clear instructions and mandate.
“On the morning of Tuesday, 11th of November, 2019, our client arrived Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE), for a scheduled medical check-up.
“While he was undergoing immigration checks, he was informed that Interpol had a Warrant to arrest him. He was shocked to his bones and marrow.
“This is because although a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had issued a Warrant of Arrest against our client on the 17th of April, 2019, following an exparte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the same Court had duly vacated the said arrest warrant Order on the 25th of October, 2019, following our challenge of the exparte order, and after robust court argument between EFCC (government) counsel and my humble self. There was therefore no existing arrest warrant on which the Interpol’s arrest was made. This was well reported by the media.
“Our client duly showed Interpol officials copies of the certified Court Order by Hon. Justice Danlami Z. Senchi. He also showed them the 17th of April, 2018, judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered by the Hon. Justice Binta Nyako, to the effect that our client could not be held liable for obeying lawful presidential directives on the OPL 245 transaction.
“The Interpol officials, however, said only the Warrant of Arrest was communicated to them by the Federal Government, and not any of these overriding court processes.
“The vacation and setting aside of the warrant of arrest order made by Honourable Justice D. Z. Senchi was curiously not communicated to the Interpol or the UAE authorities.
“But, they insisted that they could only deal with the Nigerian government, which must first communicate to them, the said vacation and setting aside of the warrant of arrest.
“Our client told them that he was ready to return to Nigeria on his own accord after his medicals; yet, they still kept him in illegal custody for over one month, after running into a legal logjam. It was very clear to them that the Government of Nigeria did not have any legal basis or grounds to extradite Mr Adoke back to Nigeria.
“Adoke, based on our legal advice, has therefore decided to break this unnecessary logjam and simulated stalemate that are already causing Nigeria international embarrassment by buying his own ticket to return to Nigeria voluntarily and peaceably, instead of going to another country of his choice.
“It must be pointed out that, Mr Adoke had been out of Nigeria voluntarily since May, 2015, upon the expiration of his tenure as Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. In his undertaking before the Dubai authorities, Adoke signed as follows: ‘I would go to Nigeria authorities to solve my problem, and without any stress or pressure from Dubai Police or anyone.’