Former attorney-general of the federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke has been reportedly held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, by Interpol following confusion over a warrant of arrest that has already been vacated.

According to report,  Mr Adoke was arrested shortly after arriving in Dubai on November 11. He had travelled there for medical evaluation after a court warrant for his arrest was vacated in October.

A federal capital territory (FCT) high court in Abuja had issued a warrant of arrest against Adoke and four others on April 17, 2019 following a request by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the controversial OPL 245 deal executed by the federal government in 2011.

However, following an application by Adoke’s lawyers, the court, presided over by D. Z. Senchi, vacated the warrant on October 25, 2019, declaring it “null and void and of no effect whatsoever”. While the first order was sent to Interpol by the Nigerian police, the vacating order was not transmitted, thereby creating confusion for the multinational force.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Interpol officials in the United Arab Emirates, UAE, were shocked when Mr Adoke told them the warrant for his arrest had since been vacated and that there was no basis to hold him.

Interpol authorities in the UAE have now requested the Nigerian authorities to release an official update on the matter.

The Ministry of Justice in Abuja has been working on transmitting the order to Interpol in Dubai to secure Mr Adoke’s release, but the process was being delayed because Attorney-General Abubakar Malami was not available, sources said.