Jonathan Says Adoke Was Unjustly Pursued Globally Over Lawful Actions on OPL 245
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has broken his silence on the long-standing controversy surrounding the OPL 245 oil deal, revealing that his former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), was globally pursued and nearly destroyed over what he described as lawful actions carried out in the interest of the Nigerian state.
Jonathan made the remarks while addressing reporters on Wednesday, stating that the extensive legal challenges and criminal allegations leveled against Adoke were politically driven and unjustified.
According to the former president, the international campaign against Adoke began shortly after the end of his administration and intensified under President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
He said that arrest warrants were issued, extradition efforts launched, and public opinion weaponized against the former attorney-general, all in relation to the controversial 2011 resolution of ownership of Oil Prospecting Licence 245—one of Nigeria’s richest offshore oil fields.
Mohammed Adoke, who served as Attorney-General and Minister of Justice during Jonathan’s administration, had advised the government to implement a settlement that restored the oil block to Malabu Oil and Gas.
That resolution also involved Shell and Eni, who were to pay a combined $1.3 billion as part of the agreement brokered with Nigeria. Although the deal was executed during Jonathan’s tenure with full cabinet backing, it soon became the subject of major corruption investigations both in Nigeria and abroad.
Following the change of government in 2015, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) began prosecuting Adoke on charges of money laundering, bribery, and fraud. International warrants were issued, leading to his arrest and temporary detention in the United Arab Emirates before he was returned to Nigeria to face trial.
For nearly a decade, Adoke maintained his innocence, insisting that he acted in line with presidential directives and legal advice.
Jonathan defended Adoke’s role, stating that the former AGF executed decisions that had been thoroughly vetted and approved by the federal government. He described Adoke’s prosecution as a political vendetta. “The pursuit of Adoke was politically motivated, a campaign that nearly destroyed him,” Jonathan said. “It was unjust.
These judgments prove he acted on lawful directives and in Nigeria’s national interest.”
Jonathan’s statement comes months after Adoke was cleared of all charges by a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja. In March 2024, the court discharged and acquitted him, ruling that the EFCC failed to prove its case and had relied heavily on assumptions rather than hard evidence.
The judge also cited a 2018 ruling which established that Adoke could not be held personally liable for actions he took while carrying out official state functions.
Adoke’s vindication was not limited to Nigerian courts. In 2022, a court in Milan, Italy, dismissed all criminal charges against Shell and Eni officials linked to the same OPL 245 deal, stating there was no case to answer. Likewise, Nigeria’s civil claim against JP Morgan Chase in the UK, where the country accused the bank of facilitating the alleged fraud by transferring funds to Malabu, also failed.
The British court ruled that the government did not establish that any fraud had taken place.
Additionally, U.S. authorities, including the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, closed their investigations into the deal without pressing charges.
Jonathan’s comments mark the most forceful defense yet of Adoke’s involvement in the matter and appear aimed at rewriting the narrative around the OPL 245 scandal, which for years was seen as one of Nigeria’s most infamous corruption sagas.
He also reaffirmed his belief that all decisions taken during his administration regarding the oil block were in line with legal advice and in the interest of the Nigerian economy.
The case has sparked broader national and international debates about the misuse of prosecutorial powers, the politicization of corruption investigations, and the need to safeguard public officers who act in good faith.
For Adoke, his acquittal closes a painful chapter, while for Jonathan, it presents an opportunity to defend the legacy of a controversial but legally grounded transaction.
With courts at home and abroad having now cleared all major parties involved, analysts believe the final chapter in the OPL 245 saga may now be closed—though the political scars it left behind may linger for some time.
