Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Wahab Shittu, has attributed the Nigerian government’s failure to prosecute former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to the complex legal procedures required for extradition.
Diezani, who served under former President Goodluck Jonathan, is accused of embezzling millions of dollars during her tenure. However, she has remained in the United Kingdom since Jonathan’s administration ended, avoiding Nigerian courts where multiple cases have been filed against her.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Shittu highlighted the challenges of extradition as a key obstacle to Diezani’s prosecution.
“Extradition procedures for someone who has fled from one country to another require meeting certain legal and administrative compliance standards before the individual can be brought back to face trial,” Shittu explained.
“There are judicial processes and international administrative requirements that must be fulfilled. Successive Nigerian governments, particularly this administration, have been making efforts to extradite Diezani to face her trials, but legal and extra-legal hurdles have made this a difficult task,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government recently recovered $52.88 million in assets linked to Diezani from the United States, as confirmed by Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.
At a formal signing ceremony in Abuja, Fagbemi revealed that $50 million of the recovered funds would be allocated through the World Bank for a rural electrification project, while the remaining $2 million would support the International Institute of Justice to enhance Nigeria’s justice system and combat corruption.
