Diezani Alison-Madueke, the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, has been arrested by a federal high court in Abuja.
Following an oral plea by Farouk Abdullah, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, presiding judge Bolaji Olajuwon issued the order on Monday (EFCC).
Previously, former presiding judge Ijeoma Ojukwu refused to issue a bench warrant, citing the EFCC’s failure to enforce a criminal summons issued against the ex-minister on July 24, 2020.
However, Abdullah informed the court that the Attorney General’s Office (AGF) required an arrest warrant in order for law enforcement authorities to bring the defendant to Nigeria to face charges.
During Monday’s court session, Abdullah told the court that the agency’s efforts to extradite the ex-minister when the case was before Ojukwu were fruitless.
In an oral application, he said that an arrest warrant was needed to allow INTERPOL to send the defendant to Nigeria to face the charges.
The judge granted the arrest warrant application and deferred the case sine die (indefinitely) until the defendant (Diezani) is apprehended and brought before the court.
