Former President Goodluck Jonathan has accused his successor, Muhammadu Buhari, of orchestrating a political manhunt against key figures in his administration following the contentious OPL 245 oil block deal—one of the country’s most high-profile corruption sagas.
Jonathan, represented by former Senate President Pius Anyim at the launch of OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3bn Nigerian Oil Block, a memoir by former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, said that shortly after leaving office in 2015, officials in his government were targeted under the guise of anti-corruption efforts.
“The succeeding government launched what many saw as a manhunt,” Jonathan said. “The author of this memoir, Mr Bello Adoke, was hunted across the globe. But today, he is alive, he is healthy, and he is here to tell his story.”
The memoir revisits the controversial 2011 deal that saw Shell and Eni pay $1.3 billion to acquire the lucrative OPL 245 oil block, a transaction mired in allegations of bribery and illicit payments. Though Adoke was charged in both Nigeria and abroad, he was ultimately acquitted. He maintains he merely executed presidential directives aimed at resolving longstanding disputes over the block.
A story of survival, forgiveness and unfinished justice
In his remarks, Adoke said the book was not an act of revenge but an attempt to set the record straight. “This book is not written to denigrate anyone,” he said. “It is meant to offer my account of what transpired.”
Adoke, who alleged that former President Buhari pursued him out of “vengeance” on behalf of the Abacha family, said he had forgiven his persecutors, including former EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu. “Prosecutors must never become persecutors,” he warned. “We cannot afford to burden Nigerian taxpayers with politically motivated prosecutions.”
He also revealed that it was Vice President Kashim Shettima who encouraged him to return to Nigeria from exile after the court vindicated him. Shettima, speaking at the event, praised Adoke’s “reconciliatory gesture” and described him as a man of conviction.
“Shettima’s speech was laced with both personal history and political reflection. He recounted how he himself had been labelled ‘Public Enemy Number One’ under Jonathan’s presidency—until legal counsel from Adoke prevented a controversial plan to remove him as Governor of Borno State.
“I was the most demonised individual in the last four years of the Jonathan administration,” Shettima said. “But Adoke stood for the rule of law. He told the President bluntly, ‘You do not have the power to remove a sitting governor.’ That was the beginning of my lifelong bond with him.”
A gathering of political opposites
In a rare moment of political détente, the event drew an eclectic cross-section of Nigeria’s political elite, with dignitaries from the APC, PDP, NNPP and other parties in attendance. Former Governors Nasir El-Rufai and Seyi Makinde, ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki, and senior figures from across Nigeria’s ideological divides hailed Adoke’s decision to document his experiences.
Makinde said the memoir was more than personal vindication. “This is a moment to build elite consensus for the future of Nigeria,” he said. “History must not only be recorded—it must be contested, clarified, and understood.”
Saraki echoed that sentiment, describing the book as a necessary reminder of the centrality of the rule of law. El-Rufai, who called for a culture of political memoirs, said current leaders should take heed.
“Our public service is governed by silence,” Shettima added. “Silence to protect relationships, silence for secrets, silence for memories we’d rather forget. But we must summon the courage to document our journeys.”
El-Rufai also revealed that Adoke played a pivotal role in convincing President Jonathan to concede defeat in 2015—praising him as a stabilising force in Nigeria’s democratic process and questioning the motives behind his later persecution.
A billion-dollar controversy with national consequences
At the heart of the controversy is Oil Prospecting Licence 245, awarded to Malabu Oil and Gas in 1998 during the Abacha regime. The licence was later sold to Shell and Eni in a deal that triggered global investigations, criminal trials in Italy, and civil lawsuits. Nigeria’s own anti-graft agencies pursued the case aggressively—some argue, selectively.
CBN Deputy Governor Muhammad Abdullahi, speaking at a related event, noted that OPL 245 contains an estimated nine billion barrels of oil—enough to materially affect Nigeria’s GDP. Governor Makinde said this explained the enduring political interest in the block.
Though the case has seen convictions abroad, notably against an Italian prosecutor, Adoke lamented that Nigerian officials who allegedly lied under oath have escaped justice. “It’s time we asked ourselves what kind of country we want to build—one where prosecutors pursue justice, or one where they serve political ends,” he said.
As the crowd of political veterans nodded in agreement, Adoke ended with a call for institutional maturity: “Let us build a Nigeria where the truth is not weaponised, and the law is not selectively applied.”
