Legal hurdle stalling Diezani’s extradition for trial, says Wahab Shittu

Wahab Shittu, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), says successive Nigerian governments have struggled to prosecute Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum, due to complex extradition procedures.

On Friday, the Nigerian and US governments signed an asset return agreement on $52.88 million recovered from the Galactica assets.

The assets were linked to Alison-Madueke and her associates.

Speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Friday, Shittu said “legal and extra-legal hurdles” remain a significant challenge in the extradition of the ex-minister.

“You know the extradition procedures of getting somebody who has taken flight from one country to another involve legal compliance procedures that must be satisfied before someone can be extradited to Nigeria,” he said.

“There are judicial procedures and international administrative protocols that must be complied with.

“Successive Nigerian governments, particularly this administration, are making efforts to ensure Diezani is brought back to face her trials. However, legal and extra-legal hurdles remain a significant challenge.

“These challenges demonstrate the complexity of international justice systems but efforts must continue until justice is served.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleged that Alison-Madueke stole $2.5 billion from Nigeria’s coffers during her stint as minister.

In October 2015, Alison-Madueke and four other persons were arrested in the UK over alleged bribery and money laundering offences.

In August 2023, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said they suspected that Alison-Madueke had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts.

The Southwark Crown Court in the UK has been prosecuting Alison-Madueke over an alleged £100,000 bribe.