Mrs. Diezani Alison‑Madueke, a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, has not been extradited by the Federal Government despite corruption allegations and an ongoing trial. On Thursday, Garba Umar, Assistant Inspector‑General of Police and Head of the National Central Bureau, INTERPOL Nigeria, explained the reasons before the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the alleged loss of over $2.4 billion in revenue from the illegal sale of 48 million barrels of crude in 2015 and crude oil exports from 2014 to date.
Umar stated that the Nigerian government followed due process by seeking mutual legal assistance from the United Kingdom, but the British government rejected the request. He added that Alison‑Madueke also filed a court case in the UK, further obstructing the extradition process.
When questioned about the success of similar extraditions, Umar cited the cases of former Pension Reform Task Team Chairman Abdulrasheed Maina and former Attorney‑General of the Federation Bello Adoke (SAN). “We have repatriated many Nigerians accused of swindling the government,” he said. “I personally brought Maina back from Niger, and I retrieved the former Attorney‑General from Dubai, along with other absconders, to face justice. Those still in Nigeria who are hiding have been sent back to their respective countries for prosecution.”
Committee member Jude Ngaji, representing Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency in Cross River State, asked why authorities have been unable to return Alison‑Madueke to face trial. Umar replied, “A warrant of arrest was issued for Diezani, but the UK government turned down our request. We adhered to the Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) framework to bring her home, yet she went to court there, where their system scrutinizes our procedures.”
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