Adoke: How anti-corruption activists turned OPL 245 affair to money-making venture

Mohammed Bello Adoke, former attorney-general of the federation (AGF), has accused some anti-corruption activists of turning the OPL 245 litigation into a money-making venture.

He also took a general swipe at what he called the “anti-corruption mobsters” in Nigeria and hinted at taking a legal action against them, although he did not mention any names.

“The perverse incentive that makes ill-informed campaigners injure people’s reputations will have to come under legal scrutiny at some point. Nobody should be able to get away with defamation under any guise,” he wrote in his new book, ‘OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3bn Nigerian Oil Block’, published by The Conrad Press Ltd in the UK.

The book, which was presented at a special event in Abuja on July 10, is scheduled to go on sale nationwide from Thursday, July 24.

“There is a thriving anti-corruption mob in Nigeria. There is no questioning the fact that we have multiple challenges in the war against corruption, but I still have to confess my amazement at how rotten the anti-corruption sector is, whether private or public,” he wrote.

“Many individuals posing as anti-corruption activists stink. They are nothing but blackmailers and dyed-in-the-wool character assassins. I have evidence that when Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), ran into a storm in 2012 over allegations of fraud, it was one of the famous ‘anti-corruption’ activists that helped him organize groups to protest in his favor at the National Assembly — for a fee. This particular ‘activist’ owns a number of hotels in Lagos State derived from the proceeds of his anti-corruption business.”

‘A BLIND ALLEY’

The former minister of justice took exception to the role played by Global Witness, a UK-based NGO that co-ordinated the global campaign against the OPL 245 transaction.

In 2023, Patrick Alley, its co-founder, wrote a book, ‘Very Bad People’, in which he pointedly accused Adoke of corruption in the deal.

Adoke wrote: “There is no doubt Alley is arrogantly ignorant and blinded by his obsession with trophy-hunting in the name of fighting corruption. He claims that my involvement in the OPL 245 settlement was ‘in variation’ from my ‘usual job description’ as the Attorney-General. He could have saved himself this embarrassment if he had googled the functions of the Nigerian Attorney-General. It is stated clearly in section 150 (1) of the Constitution that the Attorney-General of the Federation ‘shall be the Chief Law Officer… of the Government of the Federation’.

“The AGF is, in effect, the lawyer to the Government of the Federation. He oversees all government legal matters, including agreements entered into by the Nigerian Federation. It is this sort of ignorance that pushed Alley and his operatives into the wild goose chase in Italy. And the arrogance of ignorance would not allow him to accept that they misfired and failed. He is still in shock and in denial. He can barely disguise his pains.”

He said now that the OPL 245 controversy has been resolved with all court cases closed, “Alley must live the rest of his life dejected. All his work on OPL 245, which he describes as ‘the most sophisticated investigation’, only led him to a blind alley. Everything went up in smoke in the courts of law.”

“He still does not want to accept defeat in this misadventure. He keeps telling himself that the lies which took him and his cohorts years to assemble remain true and valid. The only acceptable outcome to him is the validation of their imagination. Not everybody has the mental capacity to accept defeat. If living in denial will give him any pleasure until his dying days, I wish him all the luck,” he added.

DISCHARGED AND ACQUITTED

Adoke was discharged and acquitted of all corruption allegations in the OPL 245 transaction by both the FCT high court and the federal high court in Abuja.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) did not appeal any of the judgments.

In addition, all the cases instituted by the Nigerian government and Italian prosecutors in England and Italy were dismissed by the courts who concluded that there was no evidence of corruption in the transaction, which involved Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd selling its interest in the oil block to Shell and Eni for a compensation of $1.1 billion.

The Italian prosecutors were jailed for hiding critical evidence that would have exonerated the defendants.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Department of Justice and the Dutch government all investigated the transaction and closed the files without any issuing indictment.

‘THE HATCHET MEN’

Adoke said after the Nigerian courts discharged and acquitted him, “the hatchet men started lobbying for the commission (EFCC) to appeal. The diminutive and deceptive human rights lawyer started shopping for senior lawyers to take up the appeal. They met roadblocks everywhere.

“I could not but marvel at how some people could be so desperate they would go to any length to destroy innocent people. That is what gives them a sense of success and accomplishment in life. Sick mentality!”

He said not only did the UK court dismiss Nigeria’s case against JP Morgan, the bank was awarded £22.25m in damages against the country for defamation over the suit.

“This was in addition to the millions of dollars Nigeria paid to lawyers,” he wrote.

“Scarce resources were wasted on a wild goose chase. As someone sarcastically put it, OPL 245 litigation was an oil block for lawyers and their bosom friends.”

The book is distributed and marketed by Roving Heights bookstore.