Court Issues Fresh Warrant For Deziani

A fresh warrant has been issued for former Nigerian petroleum minister Allison Maduekwe over corruption allegations.

Farouk Abdullah, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had requested the court to issue the warrant, arguing that it will enable all law enforcement agencies and the INTERPOL to arrest her anywhere and produce her in court to answer to the allegations against her.

The warrant is one of the many warrants and summons issued by various courts since 2015. Amongst them, Justice Valentine Ashi (now deceased) of the FCT High Court in December 2018, and Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu in July 2020, granted the EFCC and other security agencies powers to arrest the ex-minister.

However, Justice Ojukwu had on October 28, 2020, refused EFCC’s application for a new warrant of arrest against Alison-Madueke because the commission did not attach affidavit evidence that previous extradition summons granted it had failed.

The court was informed that Deziani is to answer questions on her role as the Minister of Petroleum Resources and 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 Economic and financial crimes commission stated to the court, that it would also like clarification on “her role in the chartering of private jets by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the alleged financing of the 2015 general elections, (particularly the money warehoused in a bank in 2015 before the elections) and documents, pieces of jewelry recovered from her home as well as property linked to her around the world.