Court orders Ex-Petroleum Minister, Diezani’s arrest

A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an arrest warrant  against the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

On Monday, Justice Bolaji Olajuwon granted the request after the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,  Farouk Abdullah, made an application.

The Court had fixed November 3, 2021 for the EFCC to give a report on its effort at extraditing Alison-Madueke to the country to stand her trial, and for possible mention of the case. But on the adjourned date, the case was stalled as neither Abdullah nor Alison-Madueke was in sight.

Justice Olajuwon then fixed Monday, Jan. 24, for the matter and adjourned for report or for possible mention of the matter. It was gathered that although Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu was initially the presiding judge in the matter, the case was reassigned to Justice Olajuwon, following the transfer of Ojukwu to the Calabar division of the court.

Ojukwu had, on October 28, 2020, rejected the EFCC’s prayer to issue a warrant of arrest against Alison-Madueke, citing the commission’s failure to enforce the earlier criminal summons.