Nigeria govt petitions UK for Diezani Madueke’s extradition

The Nigerian government led by Bola Tinubu, the current President of Nigeria, has officially submitted a request for the urgent extradition of the former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Allison-Madueke.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), submitted this request to the Crown Prosecution Services of the United Kingdom.

This request follows a written official plea from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the office of the Attorney-General earlier in October, urging the extradition of Allison-Madueke.

In support of this extradition request, the office of the Attorney-General has cited Section 2 (2) of Nigeria’s Extradition Act, CAP E25, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as well as the London Scheme of Extradition within the Commonwealth, a multilateral treaty that governs extradition between the United Kingdom and Nigeria.

The EFCC established a prima facie case against Allison-Madueke and obtained a warrant of arrest from a magistrate, which was then attached to the extradition request submitted to the UK government by the Attorney-General, acting on the orders of President Bola Tinubu.

However, the delay in the extradition process is due to an ongoing internal review by UK authorities. Extradition processes are often complex, subject to the recipient country’s approval, and must comply with their legal framework and international regulations.

Informal collaboration between the EFCC and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has contributed to the ongoing trial of Allison-Madueke at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London.

Notably, the EFCC had previously announced on October 2 that it had initiated the extradition of Allison-Madueke from the UK to Nigeria, where she faces 13-count charges related to money laundering across multiple jurisdictions, including Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Nigeria.

In August, the UK’s National Crime Agency had expressed suspicion that Diezani Allison-Madueke had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts, resulting in charges being brought against her.

Earlier in the same month, the former minister appeared before the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, facing allegations of a £100,000 bribe.

District Judge Michael Snow granted her £70,000 bail, imposing certain conditions, including an 11 pm to 6 am curfew, the requirement to wear an electronic tag, and the payment of a £70,000 surety before leaving the court building.

Diezani Allison-Madueke’s next court appearance is scheduled for October 30 at Southwark Crown Court, which handles serious criminal cases.