Immediate past Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, on Sunday cried out over what he described as high level harassment, intimidation and persecution being meted out to him and his family by “law enforcement personnel determined to unearth incriminating evidence against him.”

Adoke’s Special Assistant, Victor Akhidenor, said in a statement, a copy of which was made available to News Express: “Only last night, the Okenne residence of Mr. Bashir Bello, a younger brother to the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, was raided by men who claimed to be law enforcement personnel.

“The men who arrived Mr. Bello’s house at about 12 midnight in a Hilux van were dressed in black uniform. They did not present any search warrant and when the security man sought to know their mission, they stated that they were in search of money particularly dollars that have been hidden by Mohammed Bello Adoke. When the security insisted that the house was not occupied and that no such monies were kept there; they not only brutalised him, but proceeded to hack down the door, tore the place apart and searched virtually every nook and cranny of the house, destroying the furniture, the ceiling, wardrobes, water tank, etc. At the end, they left the premises infuriated that they did not find the dollars they were informed was hidden in the house.

“This will be the second time that security personnel would be invading Mr. Adoke’s home. Last month, officials of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invaded Mr. Adoke’s family home in Kano in search of documents ostensibly to use to prosecute him. While the EFCC claimed responsibility for that invasion, the Okenne incident regarding his younger brother’s house is shrouded in mystery as efforts to confirm the identity of the security personnel has not yielded fruit. Although the matter has been reported to the police, there is palpable fear that if not properly monitored, the Whistle Blower Policy of the government can be hijacked by hoodlums masquerading as security personnel to invade the homes of unsuspecting members of the public.

“This is particularly worrisome in view of recent security challenges being experienced in country in form of kidnappings, assassinations, and burglaries. Mr Mohammed Adoke is apprehensive about his personal safety as well as that of his immediate family and calls on law enforcement personnel to guarantee the safety of his family especially now that he has become a target and subject of harassment, intimidation and persecution from powerful families and aggrieved individual bent on settling scores with him on account of his refusal to allow his office as a Minister in the Government of the Federation to be used to serve their personal interests.”

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