Nigeria's anti-graft agency on Thursday arrested a former justice minister over one of the country's biggest ever corruption scandals after he flew back from detention in Dubai.
Mohammed Adoke, who also held the post of attorney general, was one of several high-profile ex-officials wanted over a graft case centred on a USD 1.3 billion oil deal involving international oil giants Eni and Shell.
He was detained in the United Arab Emirates in November on a Nigerian arrest warrant after spending years in hiding outside the West African nation. "Former Attorney General of the federation and Minister of Justice,
Mohammed Adoke, has arrived Nigeria from Dubai," the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said on Twitter.
The agency said it had held a series of meetings with the Dubai authorities over the former minister and that he was "accompanied by Interpol officers" on the flight to Abuja.
"Officers of the EFCC were on ground at the airport when he arrived," the statement said.
Eni and Shell are accused of handing out bribes during the 2011 purchase of OPL245, an offshore oil block, for USD 1.3 billion.
Both oil companies deny any wrongdoing in the case dubbed the "Malabu scandal" after a key company involved in the deals.
The allegations have led to a string of cases in a number of countries that have seen convictions in Italy and a probe against Shell in the Netherlands.
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