A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Wahab Shittu, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is determined to extradite former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, and others who have fled the country over allegations of crime.
Meanwhile, The Federal Government received $52.88 million in recovered Galactica assets linked to a former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, from the United States on Friday.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, announced the recovery during a formal signing ceremony of the asset return agreement in Abuja.
Fagbemi explained that $50 million of the recovered funds would be channelled through the World Bank for the development of rural electrification projects.
The remaining $2.88 million, he added, would be allocated to the International Institute of Justice to enhance the justice system and support anti-corruption initiatives.
“This asset return signifies a milestone in the collaboration between Nigeria and the United States to combat corruption and uphold the rule of law,” Fagbemi stated.
He emphasized that the recovery aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to tackling corruption and ensuring the effective use of public funds.
US Ambassador Calls For Accountability
In his remarks, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, urged the Nigerian government to ensure proper monitoring and utilization of the recovered assets for the benefit of its citizens.
“The Ministry of Justice must guarantee that these funds are used transparently and effectively to improve the lives of Nigerians,” Mills said.
‘Tinubu’s Govt Is Making Effort To Extradite Diezani’ – Wahab Shittu
In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Shittu said that the former minister has yet to be adequately prosecuted because of the difficult legal procedures involved in extraditing someone from another country.
He said, “You know the extradition procedures of getting somebody who has taken flight from one country to another country involves some legal compliance procedures that must be satisfied before somebody can be brought or extradited from another country to Nigeria.
“There are judicial procedures, there are also some administrative international procedures that must be complied with.
“I think efforts are being made by successive Nigerian governments, particularly this administration to ensure that those who have fled the country particularly Diezani are extradited back to the country to face their trials.
“That difficulty is because you have legal and extra-legal hurdles to surmount if this is to be achieved.”
