Arrested abroad and extradited to face trial before being fully exonerated, Nigeria’s former Attorney General Mohammed Bello Adoke tells the gripping and important story of offshore oil block OPL245 through his own experiences. The deal evolved into a long-running global scandal that brought together  top oil multinationals, Nigerian officials, activist lawyers and campaign groups. In the end, all the accused were cleared in every courtroom where cases were brought. Yet as the legal battles played out, the  concession produced not a drop of oil to help Nigeria develop.

The Real Scandal

Exonerated

“Not a single court of law anywhere in the world pronounced the OPL 245 transaction a scam or scandal…”

Stigmatized

“The malicious trial was intended to cast me globally as an Icon of Corruption, to destroy my life, to stigmatize my family, and to bring me down. My traducers were further angered by my guts as I refused to kowtow to them. If I harboured any skeletons in my cupboard, I would not have been as confident and bold as I was in taking them on.

Rotten

“There is no questioning the fact that we have multiple challenges in the war against corruption, but I still have to confess my amazement at how rotten the anti-corruption sector is, whether private or public. Many individuals posing as anti-corruption activists stink. They are nothing but blackmailers and dyed-in-the-wool character assassins.”

About the Author

Mohammed Bello Adoke

Mohammed Bello Adoke served Nigeria as Attorney General and Minister of Justice from April 6, 2010- May 29, 2015. He is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR). He was called to the Bar in 1986 after earning a law degree from Ahmadu Bello University in 1985. He later obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in International Tax Law from Robert Kennedy University in Zurich, a Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration from Keble College, Oxford, and an Advanced LLM in Public International Law, with a focus on international criminal law, from the University of Leiden. His legal practice spans civil litigation, commercial disputes, arbitration, election petitions, and oil and gas. He later became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and a member of the International Law Commission in Geneva. He is the author of Burden Of Service: Reminiscences of Nigeria's former Attorney-General (2019).

About the Book

  OPL 245 is published by The Conrad Press Ltd. in the United Kingdom and will be available through major booksellers and online. ISBN 978-1-917673-38-9

Timeline of OPL 245

1998

OPL 245 awarded to Malabu under military ruler General Sani Abacha.

2001

 President Olusegun Obasanjo revokes the block without explanation. 

2006

Learn more about the author of the book, including their background, experience, and motivation for writing this book. You'll also find links to their other works and social media profiles.

2011

Read what others are saying about this book and the impact it has had on their lives. These testimonials offer real-world examples of how the principles outlined in the book can be applied in a variety of situations.

2015 - 2022

Adoke faces allegations of corruption and money laundering; detained in UAE and Nigeria. 

2022 - 2024

Courts in UK and Italy clear all parties. No indictments result from U.S. or Dutch probes. Adoke and all other defendants acquitted in Nigeria.

Also by Mohammed Bello Adoke

Burden of Service

In recounting his five-year experience in government, Bello Adoke unveils the web of local and international intrigues, deceit, lies and conspiracy around an avoidable scandal.

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