Past Nigerian Petroleum Minister, Deizani Alison-Madueke, was on
Friday arrested in London by the United Kingdom National Crime Agency.
Investigations revealed that the UK Police picked up
Alison-Madueke on Friday in connection with offences bordering on fraud and
bribery.
The Spokesman for the UK High Commission in Abuja, Joe Abuku,
confirmed to that five persons were arrested by the agency. He, however, did not
disclose their identities.
It was gathered that the Seizure Organised Crime Agency within the
National Crimes Agency of the UK arrested Diezani and are probing the
allegations against her.
It was further learnt that Diezani was picked up by operatives of
the SOCA at the instance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which
has been discretely probing her.
A source said, “It is true that the former Minister of Petroleum
Resources, Mrs. Deziani has been arrested by the UK’s National Crimes Agency,
not the Metropolitan Police.
“There is an agency within the National Crimes Agency called the
Seizures Organised Crimes Agency. She was actually arrested by operatives of
SOCA because the agency has a working agreement with the EFCC. We have been
cooperating with SOCA on a number issues.”
“I can tell you that Diezani is being quizzed over allegations of
bribery and fraud by the UK police.”
Investigations revealed that the EFCC dispatched a team of crack
investigators to the residence of Alison-Madueke at Frederick Chiluba Avenue,
Asokoro, moments after the commission was alerted that the investigation had
commenced in the UK, where the ex-petroleum minister has been holed up since
leaving office in May.
Alison-Madueke
was Nigeria’s minister of petroleum resources from 2010 until earlier this year
when Muhammadu Buhari defeated Goodluck Jonathan in presidential polls.
She
was the first woman to hold the post in Nigeria, Africa’s number one crude
producer and the first female president of the global oil cartel, OPEC.
Britain’s
NCA, which investigates serious and organised crime, said in a statement on its
website that its international corruption unit arrested five people across
London.
The
arrests were “part of an investigation into suspected bribery and money laundering
offences”, it added.
No
further details were given but Nigerian media reported that Alison-Madueke was
granted bail but had her passport seized and was ordered to stay at her London
address.
The
59-year-old, a close ally of Jonathan whose administration was dogged by
allegations of corruption, has faced accusations of graft in the past but
denied wrong-doing.
Buhari,
who was elected on an anti-corruption ticket, has pledged to crack down on
endemic fraud in government and state-run agencies, in particular in the oil
sector.
He
has said that “mind-boggling” sums have been stolen over the years and promised
to prosecute those responsible.
But
he has also said he would not conduct a witch-hunt against the former
administration.
No
one was immediately available for comment at Nigeria’s Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) when contacted by AFP and the government in Abuja said
it had “no information” on the arrests.
Online
and social media reports, however, said the EFCC had sealed Alison-Madueke’s
home in the capital, Abuja.
Alison-Madueke
has reportedly been overseas since Buhari came to power on May 29.
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