Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has denied any connection to the recently repatriated $52.8 million from the United States to Nigeria.
Speaking in a statement through her lawyer, Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Diezani dismissed reports linking her to the funds as baseless, saying that the development is aimed at tarnishing her reputation.
She also claimed that the money in question originated from the sale of a yacht, *Galactica Star*, which belonged to Nigerian oil magnate, Kola Aluko.
“There is no such thing as ‘Diezani Loot,’” the statement emphasized, describing the allegations as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.
According to Diezani, the *Galactica Star* yacht was seized by the US government from Aluko, sold while the proceeds were repatriated to Nigeria. She insisted that she had no involvement in the acquisition, use, or forfeiture of the vessel.
The statement reads in part: “We note with concern the recent deliberate attempt to link her with the civil forfeiture of the yacht *Galactica Star*, the sale of which yielded $52.8m to the U.S. government, later repatriated to Nigeria. This is a clear example of the mischievous and cruel sport of tarnishing her image through persistent falsehoods and misinformation.”
Diezani further accused those behind the reports of intentionally attaching her name to the incident to push a “name-and-shame” narrative.
She urged them to desist from spreading defamatory information and focus their efforts on more productive activities.
The former minister, who has been residing in the United Kingdom since leaving Nigeria, reiterated her innocence and called for an end to the continued attempts to link her to what she described as baseless claims.
