Diezani Alison-Madueke, former Minister of Petroleum Resources, has fiercely criticized British authorities for wrecking her reputation and integrity, speaking out just days after her acquittal on bribery charges in a London court.
In an emotional interview with the BBC, Alison-Madueke described the 13-year investigation by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) as “painful and traumatic” and claimed it could have been conducted differently.
“I’ve not been allowed to travel. I’ve not been allowed to work. They destroyed my reputation and my integrity,” she said. “When your freedom is taken away from you…it has a very deep impact upon you psychologically.”
“I Was Low-Hanging Fruit”
The former minister alleged that UK authorities targeted her because she was an easy target, claiming the NCA ignored her anti-corruption efforts in the oil industry and the fact she had made “powerful enemies” in Nigeria.
“I was the first female to enter this sort of position as petroleum minister and as head of OPEC in a very misogynistic society,” she said.
Alison-Madueke insisted the NCA should have “taken a step back and looked with a little more depth at the truth of the situation on the ground.”
Documents That Could Have Cleared Her “Went Missing”CCTV footage showing her whereabouts leading up to her disappearance.
Witness statements confirming her interactions and movements prior to going missing.
Cell phone records indicating her last known location and communication.
Bank or financial records showing recent transactions or activity.
Medical records or prescriptions that may shed light on her mental or physical state.
Social media posts or messages that could offer insight into her state of mind or plans.
Travel records showing any recent trips or planned travel.
Employment records indicating any recent changes or conflicts.
Text messages or emails that may provide clues about her whereabouts or intentions.
Any other evidence or documentation that could help establish a timeline of events leading up to her disappearance.
The former minister revealed that boxes of receipts showing oil tycoons had been reimbursed for payments made on her behalf were seized from her Abuja home by Nigerian intelligence forces in 2015 and never returned.
“Those items were taken away by our intelligence forces from my home in Abuja in 2015,” she said, adding she had no idea what happened to them.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who appointed Alison-Madueke, provided a written statement to the court confirming that third parties making payments on behalf of ministers on overseas duties was not unusual.
A “Bit of Blame Everywhere”
Asked who she holds responsible for the failed case against her, Alison-Madueke said: “There’s a bit of blame everywhere.”
“The Nigerian authorities need to look into the processes and practices that they deploy in these cases,” she added.
The Case Against Her
The former minister’s trial began in January after UK prosecutors charged her in August 2023 over an alleged £100,000 bribe. She was accused of accepting luxury goods and high-value properties from oil industry figures in exchange for awarding multi-million-pound oil contracts.
Olatimbo Ayinde, an oil executive, and Doye Agama, her brother who is an archbishop at a Manchester Pentecostal church, were also cleared of all charges.
US Asset Seizure and EFCC Recoveries
In 2023, the US Justice Department recovered $53 million in assets from two oil tycoons named in the trial, alleging that “Alison-Madueke used her influence to steer lucrative oil contracts” to their companies.
“I was never given the opportunity to fight that because I wasn’t even charged,” she responded, insisting the contracts followed “the exact due process that they are supposed to go through.”
The EFCC also recovered approximately $153 million and more than 80 properties from the former minister in 2022.
“The assets that have been forfeited were not actually traced directly to me… I don’t know what has happened to these matters at all. It’s now that I’ll have the freedom to find out what exactly has gone on there,” she said.
What’s Next?
Following her acquittal, Alison-Madueke said she would speak about the events of the past decade and her future plans “in due course.”
