Justice Bolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, issued a warrant of arrest against the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, following the inability of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to enforce criminal summons against the ex-minister, who is now residing in the United Kingdom (UK).
Justice Olajuwon granted the request, following the oral application for the request by the lawyer to the EFCC, Farouk Abdullah.
The court had fixed November 3, 2021 for the EFCC to give a report on its effort at extraditing Diezani to the country to stand her trial and further hearing of the matter.
But when the matter came up on the adjourned date, the case was stalled as neither Abdullah nor Alison-Madueke was in sight.
Justice Olajuwon then adjourned the case till January 24, 2022 for the continuation of the matter.
It is instructive to state that though Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu was initially handling the matter, the case was reassigned to Justice Olajuwon, following the transfer of Justice Ojukwu to the Calabar division of the Federal High Court.
Justice Ojukwu had on October 28, 2020, rejected the EFCC’s prayer to issue a warrant of arrest against Diezani, citing the commission’s failure to enforce the earlier criminal summons, which the court issued on ex-minister since July 24, 2020, insisting that court orders are not made in vain.
The EFCC had, in requesting for the criminal summons in July 2020, claimed that it was required to facilitate the ex-minister’s extradition to Nigeria.
Faced with the failure of Diezani to honour the summons, the EFCC, through its lawyer, Abdullah, urged Justice Ojukwu to issue a warrant of arrest against her, saying that the extradition process failed as a result of the absence of the warrant of arrest.
Justice Ojukwu, who turned down the request, directed the lawyer to file an affidavit to that effect and supported by evidence from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
The judge later adjourned the matter for report and possible arraignment of the defendant (Alison-Madueke).
At the resumed hearing of the matter on Monday, Abdullah told Justice Olajuwon that all efforts by the EFCC to get Diezani extradited when the matter was before Ojukwu were unsuccessful.
Abdullah, who made an oral application for a warrant of arrest, said the application was part of the requirements by the office of the AGF for the extradition.
The EFCC’s lawyer added that the arrest warrant was needed to further give the International Police (INTERPOL) the impetus to bring Diezani to Nigeria to answer to charges against her.
Justice Olajuwon then granted the application and adjourned the matter sine die (indefinitely), pending when Diezani is arrested and produced in court.
Abdullah had, in the application, urged the court “to issue an arrest warrant against Alison-Madueke, who is believed to be in the UK to enable all law enforcement agencies and the INTERPOL to arrest her anywhere she is sighted and be brought before the court to answer to the allegation made against her before the court.”
He further argued that since the summons had not been able to achieve the desired result, the need for a warrant of arrest cannot be over-emphasised.
The court had, on July 24, 2020, ordered Diezani to appear before it and answer to the money laundering charge filed against her by the EFCC.
The court gave the verdict in an ex-parte motion marked FHC/ABJ/CR/208/2018 brought by Abdullah.
The EFCC had accused Diezani of fleeing the country for the UK in order to escape justice and other offences.
In the document filed along with the motion ex-parte, the EFCC said it sought to question Diezani, without success, in relation to many allegations against her, including “her role as the Minister of Petroleum Resources and her role in the award of Strategic Alliance Agreement (SAA) to Septa Energy Limited, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited and Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited by NNPC.
The lawyer to the EFCC also said that the commission wanted Alison-Madueke to respond to questions about “her role in the chartering of private jets by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Ministry of Petroleum Resources and her role in the award of contracts by NNPC to Marine and Logistics Services Limited.”
Abdallah said the agency was investigating Diezani‘s business relationships with Donald Amamgbo, Afam Nwokedi, Chief lkpea Leemon, Olatimbo Bukola Ayinde, Benedict Peters, Christopher Aire, Harcourt Adukeh, Julian Osula, Dauda Lawal, Nnamdi Okonkwo, Leno Laithan, Sahara Energy Group and Midwestern Oil Limited, among others.
He added that Diezani was also required to clear air on “her role in financing the 2015 general elections, particularly the money that were warehoused at Fidelity Bank Plc in 2015 prior to the elections.”
He further said that the EFCC wanted Diezani to speak on several items, documents and jewellery recovered from her house at No: 10, Chiluba Close, off Jose Marti Street, Asokoro, Abuja, and some identified property that were linked to her In Nigeria, United Kingdom, United States, United Arab Emirates and South Africa.
Incidentally, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa in the April 2021 edition of the agency’s in-house magazine, EFCC ALERT, disclosed that the anti-corruption commission recovered $153million from Diezani.
Bawa also said that the agency also recovered the final forfeiture of over 80 properties in Nigeria valued at about $80 million from Diezani, who has been living in the UK since leaving office couple of years ago.
The EFCC boss added that he would want Diezani to face trial in Nigeria.
