Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to declare the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), wanted.
Sagay made the call on Friday while reacting to the former minister’s open letter to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN).
In the said letter, which was widely circulated in the media last week Adoke, who has refused to honour an EFCC invitation since last December, justified his decision to shun the invitation on grounds that his political opponents were out to embarrass him in Nigeria.
The former AGF, who claimed to be undergoing an academic programme in the Netherlands, was invited by the anti-graft agency for his alleged role in the controversial $2bn Malabu oil deal.
Adoke, who said he had finished writing his exams, accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Sani Abacha family among others, of being behind the plot to persecute him.
He also stressed that every step he took in the oil deal was in the overall interest of Nigeria as its Chief Law Officer at the time.
But Sagay refused to be swayed by his learned colleague, saying by refusing to honour the EFCC invitation, Mr. Adoke was testing the collective will of Nigerians.
The constitutional law expert said if Adoke was not guilty, he should return to Nigeria to clear his name rather than hide from his base abroad and be issuing statements.
Sagay said, “Anyone that is invited by the EFCC is duty-bound to make himself available. It is just like the police inviting you and the moment you don’t honour the invitation, they will arrest you. So, it is a sign of respect to invite a person.
“In my view, if his hands are clean, why does he care if he will be embarrassed or not? You cannot be embarrassed if your hands are clean because whoever tries to embarrass you will be the one to be embarrassed when the truth is out.
“So, his response looks like a guilty one and he has stayed away from the country to avoid answering questions and so in my view, he has to be declared wanted, the International Police must go after him and wherever he is found, he should be extradited to Nigeria”.