- Senior Advocate Wahab Shittu highlighted legal hurdles hindering the extradition of former Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke for prosecution in Nigeria
- The Nigerian government recently signed an asset return agreement to recover $52.88 million linked to Alison-Madueke’s associates
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former EFCC prosecutor, Wahab Shittu, has shed light on the challenges facing the federal government in extraditing former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, for prosecution in Nigeria.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Shittu highlighted the complex “legal and extra-legal hurdles” hindering the extradition process.
He explained:
Extradition procedures for bringing someone who has fled one country to another involve legal compliance processes that must be fulfilled. Judicial procedures and international administrative protocols are essential for extradition to be successful.
Shittu acknowledged that successive Nigerian governments, including the current administration, are making efforts to ensure Diezani is brought back to face trial. However, legal complexities and international justice challenges remain significant obstacles.
Despite the difficulties, he emphasized the importance of continuing efforts until justice is served:
Efforts must continue to ensure accountability.
On Friday, Nigeria and the U.S. signed an asset return agreement to recover $52.88 million linked to Alison-Madueke’s associates and connected to the Galactica assets.
The EFCC accused the former minister of misappropriating $2.5 billion from Nigeria’s treasury during her tenure.
In October 2015, Alison-Madueke and four others were arrested in the UK for alleged bribery and money laundering.
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) also accused her in August 2023 of accepting bribes in exchange for awarding lucrative oil and gas contracts.
The case continues to be prosecuted at the Southwark Crown Court in London.
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