Nigeria Requests Urgent Extradition of Former Minister Diezani Allison-Madueke from UK.
In a significant move, the Nigerian government, led by President Bola Tinubu, has submitted a warrant of arrest and an urgent extradition request for Diezani Allison-Madueke, the former Minister of Petroleum, to the Crown Prosecution Services of the United Kingdom.
This development follows a written official request made by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, earlier in October.
The extradition request is based on Nigeria’s Extradition Act, CAP E25, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and the London Scheme of Extradition within the Commonwealth, commonly known as “The Scheme.” This multilateral treaty governs extradition between the United Kingdom and Nigeria.
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A top Federal Government source explained that the EFCC established a prima facie case against Allison-Madueke, prompting a magistrate to issue a warrant of arrest. This certified warrant was then attached to the extradition request submitted to the UK government by the AGF on the orders of President Tinubu.
The delay in the extradition of Allison-Madueke from the UK to Nigeria is attributed to an ongoing internal review of the request by UK authorities. Extradition processes are typically intricate and subject to the approval of the recipient country, in this case, the UK.
An informal interagency collaboration between the EFCC and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has played a pivotal role in the ongoing trial of Alison-Madueke at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London.
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Recalling previous developments, the EFCC had disclosed on October 2 that it had commenced the extradition of Alison-Madueke from the UK to Nigeria. She faces 13-count charges related to money laundering, which were brought against her by the anti-graft agency. These charges span across jurisdictions in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Nigeria.
In August, the UK’s National Crime Agency stated that it suspected Alison-Madueke had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts, leading to her being charged in court.
Earlier in the month, the former minister appeared before the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London to face an alleged £100,000 bribe charge. District Judge Michael Snow granted Alison-Madueke a £70,000 bail.
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Snow imposed several conditions, including an 11 pm to 6 am curfew, wearing an electronic tag at all times, and payment of a £70,000 surety before she could leave the court building. Her next court appearance is scheduled for October 30 at Southwark Crown Court, which handles serious criminal cases.
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