[BREAKING]: Alleged Malabu Oil scam: Court grants Adoke, Abubakar, Gbinigie bail

JUSTICE Abubakar Idris Kultigi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting at Gwagwalada, Abuja, today granted bail to a former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke.

Adoke is arraigned before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside six others on a 42-count charge bordering on accepting gratification, granting tax waiver, forgery, among others.

Others standing trial with the former AGF are Aliyu Abubakar; Rasky Gbinigie; Malabu Oil and Gas Limited; Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited; Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited and Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge proffered against them by the anti-corruption commission.

Adoke, Abubakar and Gbinigie were remanded by the court in EFCC custody pending the determination of their bail application.

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Respective counsels for the three, Chief Mike Ozekhome, Wole Olanipekun and Mahmoud Magaji, all Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) respectively, on Monday, applied for the bail of their clients, which was however objected by the prosecution counsel, Bala Sanga.

Ruling on individual bail applications today, Justice Kutigi declared that bail was at the discretion of the court and therefore, admitted the former AGF to a bail of N50 million with one surety who is a landed property owner in Abuja.

The judge also admitted Abubakar to a bail of N50million with one surety who owns landed property within the jurisdiction of the court.

Also, the court granted Gbinigie bail to the tune of N10million with a surety who owns landed property in Abuja.