There is no letting up for Nigeria’s immediate past Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, whose residence in Okene, Kogi State, was, again, stormed by not less than 10 policemen. They were said to be in search of documents believed to be stashed there.
The Federal Government has been desperately trying to get to the root of an alleged $1 billion bribe paid out to government official and others for the sale of oil block OPL 245. The government has taken Adoke to court over this.
After spending not less than an hour there, the policemen left for the Force Headquarters in Abuja with nothing.
With a search warrant from a High Court of Justice in Gudu District Abuja, they combed every nook and cranny of the house, according to family sources.
The search, which led them even into the roof took place a little after 4:00p.m and lasted about an hour.
“The policemen presented a search warrant obtained from the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Gudu in Abuja. Their leader identified himself as a police officer from the Force Headquarters, Abuja but he refused to disclose his identity.
“We cooperated with them and at the end of the day, nothing was found. They wrote a report declaring that the duplex was free of any incriminating documents. I and four others also signed the report too,” said Mr. Abdul Adoke, the former Minister’s sibling.
In his reaction from abroad, Adoke said: “I have just been informed that my country home in Okene, Kogi State built some 12 years ago was today 14th July 2017 thoroughly searched by men of the Nigerian Police Force. Armed with a Search Warrant from the High Court of the FCT sitting at Gudu District, Abuja, the 12 Policemen searched the whole building including the overhead and underground water tank, septic tanks, the penthouse and Boys Quarters apparently looking for foreign currency (Dollars and Pound Sterling) and other unspecified documents.
“However, unlike previous searches, which were conducted in the crudest manner with the aim of needlessly destroying property, these Policemen conducted themselves professionally and were civil in their approach thereby giving credence to the new image of the force as a reformed Institution. At the end of the almost two hours search, no incriminating thing was found in the house and a report to that effect was duly prepared and witnessed by those who were present including my junior brother, Abdullahi Adoke.
“This will be the fourth time my home will be subjected to search at the instance of Nigeria’s law enforcement personnel. It will be recalled that my student home in The Hague, Netherlands was searched at the instance of the EFCC. This was followed by the search of my country home in Kano and the search of my junior brother’s house also in Okene and today’s search of my own home in Okene. While all these searches have been futile in the sense that nothing incriminating was found, the law enforcement personnel still persist in this fruitless exercise.
“I am therefore convinced that the searches are in furtherance of an orchestrated plan to harass, intimidate and generally prevent me from pursuing my suit against the federal government. I served Nigeria diligently as Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for 5 years and two months and I am proud of the modest achievements I recorded in the Justice and other sectors that my inputs impacted. I am therefore utterly surprised that at the end of my service, agencies of the State especially the EFCC have chosen to align with those with personal grudges and scores to settle with me for refusing to allow my office to be used in their fight to gain ownership and control of OPL 245 granted to Malabu Oil and Gas Limited.
“I am however certain that at the appropriate time, all those behind my travails will be exposed and shamed. By the grace of God, Nigerians will be made aware of the ignoble roles some of their so called leaders are playing in furtherance of their personal interests in the guise of fighting corruption.”
