Court orders arrest of former Minister of Petroleum, Dan Etete

A High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the arrest of a former Minister of Petroleum, Dan Etete. According to PUNCH, Justice Abubakar Kutigi of the Gwagwalada High Court ordered the arrest of Dan Etete alongside Munamuna Seidougha, and Jospeph Amaran.

The arrest warrant follows an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which had accused Dan Etete, Munamuna Seidougha, and Jospeph Amaran of being owners of the Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, the company to which the Oil Processing Licence 245 was fraudulently awarded to.

Former petroleum minister, Dan Etete, who was appointed by the late Sani Abacha, is reported to have acquired “OPL 245” through the Malabu Oil and Gas Limited while in office in 1998, five days after the company was incorporated with three shareholders; Mohammed Sani Abacha , Kweku Amafagha and Hassan Hindu (wife of a former Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK. Reports also say Etete illegally awarded himself the oil block and paid only $2 million out of the $20 million legally required for the purchase of the oil block.

In 2011, under former President Goodluck Jonathan, Shell and ENI bought the oil block for $1.3 billion. The government is alleged to have further paid $801 million of the money into accounts controlled by Malabu and Etete.