The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has submitted a warrant of arrest and request to the Crown Prosecution Services of the United Kingdom for the urgent extradition of a former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Allison-Madueke.
The request was made on the orders of President Bola Tinubu following an official request by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the office of the AGF.
A reliable source within the corridors of power revealed that the office of the AGF cited Section 2 (2) of Nigeria’s Extradition Act, CAP E25, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and the London Scheme of Extradition within the Commonwealth otherwise known as “The Scheme,” a multilateral treaty which governs extradition between the United Kingdom and Nigeria, in making the request.
The commission also noted that the money laundering charges against Alison Madueke give it coverage jurisdictions in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Nigeria.
Mrs Alison-Madueke is wanted in Nigeria to face 13 counts of money laundering involving jurisdictions in the UK, UAE, US, and Nigeria. The EFCC alleges she stole $2.5 billion while serving as Minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration between 2010-2015.
The former minister is currently on bail and facing trial in the UK over alleged bribery during her tenure as Minister. The UK’s National Crime Agency has also been investigating her for allegedly receiving kickbacks for awarding lucrative oil and gas contracts.
While the extradition process is typically lengthy and subject to approval by the recipient country, the Nigerian government hopes the UK will determine the request speedily and return Mrs. Alison-Madueke to face charges in Nigeria. Earlier this year, the former minister challenged the forfeiture of her assets in Nigeria secured by the EFCC. She also sued the EFCC and the Attorney-General’s office over what she termed a false attempt to paint her as a “common criminal.”
Author: Gbenga Teejay Okunlola
London, UK
teejayok@gmail.com
