A former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, has asked a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Jabi, to vacate a bench warrant issued against him.
The court had ordered the arrest of Mr Adoke alongside former Minister of Petroleum, Duazia Louya Etete (aka Dan Etete) and four foreigners, Raph Wetzels, Casula Roberto, Pujato Stefano, and Burrato Sebastiano.
The court order had followed their alleged failure to turn up for their arraignment in a fraud charge relating to the Malabu Oil scandal.
Ruling on the ex-parte motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on April 17, Justice D. Z. Senchi ordered that the Nigeria police, the INTERPOL and any other law enforcement agency should arrest them anywhere they were found.
However, in a motion on notice filed before the court through his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome and made available to our source Tuesday night, Mr Adoke told the court to vacate the order on the grounds that the court lacked the jurisdiction to have granted the order in the first instance.