The International Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has issued a warrant of arrest on ex-minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke. This means that the extradition process has been kick-started and the former minister may be arrested by the United Kingdom police or any police agency all over the world and repatriated to Nigeria.
Recall that the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu, had on December 5 vowed to comply with a Federal Territory High Court order mandating the commission to produce the minister in court within 72 hours to stand trial for alleged graft while in office.
Magu, who made the vow at a briefing in Abuja, had also lamented that 80 percent of Nigeria’s looted funds were still trapped abroad while 60 percent of the stolen wealth was hidden in Nigeria by fraudulent and highly placed persons.
He, however, vowed to take all necessary steps to unravel and retrieve the stolen wealth and bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice, no matter how long and tedious the judicial process might be. He had said that in compliance with the court order the commission had stepped up effort to persuade the British authorities to extradite Diezani to face prosecution for sundry economic and financial crimes.
According to him, “We are going to comply with the court order to bring back the former minister. Our only predicament is that the former minister is in another country, which we are talking with over the matter. If she is here, we would simply hand her over to the judge. Let me also say that it is not true that Diezani has no case in Britain. All the EU countries are aware of her money laundering case.
If we cannot get her within the deadline, we will go back to the court”.
He denied claims that the United Kingdom’s Serious Fraud Office had not established any case against the former minister and was, therefore, not pressing any charges against her but expressed fears that the prolonged delay in charging her to court had already sent wrong signals to Nigerians at home and abroad.
Meanwhile, according to the revelation on Friday, the sources cited said with the extradition process started by the UK government, the former minister would be arrested by any police in the world.
The source said, “By this request, all Interpol member countries were obliged to arrest the former minister anywhere she is seen on their territories.”