Tobias Sylvester
High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Gwagwalada, Abuja, has ordered the arrest of former minister of petroleum , Dan Etete, over his alleged involvement in the fraudulent Malabu Oil deal.
Justice Abubakar Kutigi ordered the arrest of Etete along with Munamuna Seidougha, and Jospeph Amaran on Thursday, January 30, 2020.
This followed an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which had accused them of playing roles in the alleged fraudulent allocation of the lucrative Oil Processing Licence 245 to Malabu Oil and Gas Limited in 1998.
The three were said to be the owners of Malabu Oil and Gas Limited to which Etete, as the then Minister of Petroleum under the regime of General Sani Abacha, facilitated the fraudulent allocation of the oil block.
EFCC had named Etete, Seidougha, and Amaran as being on the run in the 42 counts of the alleged fraudulent Malabu Oil transactions recently filed against the immediate-past Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Mohammed Adoke (SAN), and six others.
The prosecutor, Bala Sanga, in an exparte application informed the court that Etete’s arrest is pivotal to unravelling the details of the oil deal.
Justice Kutigi granted the request and ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu to arrest Etete.
