THE International Police (INTERPOL) has rejected the request of former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Mohammed Bello Adoke for release from its custody in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
It said it could not grant the request because it deals with states and not individuals. Adoke’s lawyers wrote the INTERPOL, seeking his release based on what they called the vacation, on October 25, of the warrant of arrest issued against him by Justice Danlami Senchi of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja.The INTERPOL, it was learnt over the weekend, can only comply with the order if duly notified by the Federal Government. Unless Adoke’s status (whether or not the arrest warrant has been vacated) is clarified, he may remain in custody.Adoke has been in custody since his arrest in Abu Dhabi on November 13.But the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is pushing that Adoke be brought back home for trial.
The top source, who spoke in confidence, said: “There has been pressure on the government on the status of Adoke, especially bordering on the attestation letter on Justice Senchi’s order.
“All those in charge are at a crossroads and they are afraid of taking any decision which might be seen as against the anti-corruption agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari. This is why it has been difficult to get an attestation letter from the government.
“Instead, the government has left the fate of Adoke to the court either in Nigeria or Abu Dhabi to decide. It wants judicial processes, (including compliance with court order; the right of redress by Adoke at the court at all levels, the serving of charges on the ex-AGF in the UAE by the EFCC through the INTEERPOL and EFCC’s demand for extradition) to take full course.
“So, there is a stalemate somehow because no one is ready to push for attestation letter; the INTERPOL is not ready to release Adoke without a letter from the Federal Government and the EFCC is adamant on its position that the minimum it would tolerate is for Adoke to return to Nigeria for trial.”