Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), has declared that he has forgiven everyone involved in what he described as his “ordeal” during the high-profile prosecution linked to the controversial OPL 245 oil block case.
Naijaonpoint reports that Adoke made this known on Thursday in Abuja during the public presentation of his new memoir titled OPL245: Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Nigerian Oil Block.
Speaking at the event, the former minister said his decision to write the memoir was not to cast aspersions or retaliate against those who had targeted him, but to clarify the facts surrounding his role in the OPL 245 saga.
The former AGF maintained that he acted within the bounds of the law when he facilitated the agreement involving Oil Prospecting License 245, one of Nigeria’s most valuable oil blocks. He lamented that despite his lawful actions, he was made the face of a scandal that severely tarnished his image.
Adoke did not mince words in his criticism of Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing its operatives of unethical conduct in the OPL245 litigation.
Adoke said, “I did not set out to denigrate anyone but to set the records straight and provide valuable insights into a transaction that was not only carried out in furtherance of the national interest but also to safeguard Nigeria’s economic interest as it relates to exploitation of our hydrocarbon resources.
“Although I was not a party to the 2006 agreement which preceded my appointment as the attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, my traducers, state and non-state actors, alike ensure that I suffer immense public odium, loss of reputation, and family life for the role I played in ensuring the implementation of an agreement in 2011.
“Notwithstanding, I was only carrying out the lawful directive of the president in the exercise of his executive powers under the Constitution.
“Permit me to say that I have forgiven all those who had a hand in my ordeal.
“With the public presentation of this book, I say boldly and clearly that I admired the courage of Ibrahim Mustapha Magu in coming forward to make up with me, apologise to me, and sympathise for the role each and every one of them played in my travail. I have forgiven him.”