Maghreb Edition

Africa: Corruption in Nigeria’s oil sectorF

Posted On 21 January 2020

Number of times this article was read : 412

Lagos, Jan 21, 2020 – Nigeria’s anti-graft agency said Tuesday it had filed corruption charges against a former justice minister over a $1.3 billion dollar oil scandal involving international majors Shell and Eni. Mohammed Adoke was arrested last month on arrival from the United Arab Emirates where he had been detained on a Nigerian warrant in connection with one of the West African state’s biggest-ever corruption scandals. “We have filed multiple corruption charges in Abuja against Mr. Mohammed Adoke in respect of the Malabu oil deal. The former minister will appear in court soon,” Tony Oriade, spokesman for Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, told AFP.

Oriade said Adoke, a former attorney general, was accused of money laundering and collecting a bribe worth 300 million naira ($800,000, 750,000 euros) to broker the sale of lucrative offshore oil block OPL245 to Shell and
Eni. Both oil companies deny any wrongdoing in the case dubbed the “Malabu scandal” after the key company involved in the deals.

Adoke was alleged to have collected the bribe from a businessman, Abubakar Aliyu, who has also been charged with him. Eni and Shell are accused of handing out bribes during the 2011 purchase of OPL245, an offshore oil block, for $1.3 billion.

Former oil minister Dan Etete is still on the run over the scandal. It was during his time in office in 1998 that Malabu was illegally awarded control of the block. Accusations against the international oil majors 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.

By AFP

The North Africa Journal's WhatsApp Group
.

Most Recent Stories from the Region

Agriculture: Drought‑Hit 2025 Season Leaves Morocco More Dependent on Cereal Imports, According to FAO$

Morocco ended 2025 with a below‑average cereal harvest and higher food inflation, leaving the country more dependent on grain imports going into the 2025/26 marketing year, according to a new country brief from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The report notes that while late‑season rains improved conditions for the winter crop now in the ground, cumulative rainfall during the 2025 growing season was more than 60% below normal in key cereal‑producing areas, sharply curbing yields and forcing authorities to extend subsidy measures and step up import plans to secure supplies.

French Prosecutors Target Ex-Algerian Minister in Corruption Case Tied to Sonatrach and the ICJ$

French prosecutors are investigating former Algerian justice minister and ex-International Court of Justice president Mohammed Bedjaoui over alleged tax fraud, money laundering, and unexplained wealth running into the millions. The case reaches from a controversial ICJ ruling in a Qatar–Bahrain maritime dispute to high-end property deals in France and corruption scandals around Algeria’s Sonatrach, raising broader questions about how international justice, energy contracts, and opaque financial networks can intersect.

Algeria’s 2,000‑Kilometer Mining Corridor: Rail, Iron Ore, and the Road to the Mediterranean$

Algeria’s 2,000‑Kilometer Mining Corridor: Rail, Iron Ore, and the Road to the Mediterranean$

Algeria’s new rail link between Béchar and the giant Gara Djebilet iron ore deposit in Tindouf is designed as far more than a transport upgrade. By tying the remote southwest directly into Oran and other Mediterranean ports, the single‑track, heavy‑freight line is meant to anchor a 2,000‑kilometer economic corridor that can move millions of tons of iron ore and processed steel products while opening up one of the country’s most isolated regions to passengers, jobs, and investment.

Written by The North Africa Journal

The North Africa Journal is a leading English-language publication focused on North Africa. The Journal covers primarily the Maghreb region and expands its general coverage to the Sahel, Egypt, and beyond, when events in those regions affect the broader North Africa geography. The Journal does not have any affiliation with any institution and has been independent since its founding in 1996. Our position is to always bring our best analysis of events affecting the region, and remain as neutral as humanly possible. Our coverage is not limited to one single topic, but ranges from economic and political affairs, to security, defense, social and environmental issues. We rely on our full staff analysts and editors to bring you best-in-class analysis. We also work with sister company MEA Risk LLC, to leverage the presence on the ground of a solid network of contributors and experts. Information on MEA Risk can be found at www.MEA-Risk.com.