The former minister of petroleum Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke has promised to returned to Nigeria to face corruption charges. A lawyer, Obinna Onya, has told a Federal High Court in Lagos that Diezani Alison-Madueke was ready to return to Nigeria to defend herself.
Onya has stormed the court on Tuesday, October 3 with an application to force the AGF to bring the former minister to Nigeria from the UK – The EFCC kicked against the application claiming it has not been served Embattled former petroleum resources minister, Diezani Alison Madueke, has reportedly pleaded with a Federal High Court sitting Lagos to order the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to ensure her return to Nigeria.
According to Madueke, she is ready to defend herself on the 40million charges linked to her. The minister has been on exile since the Buhari led administration came into power in 2015.
“The statement made by the prosecution means that the applicant (Diezani) is going to be convicted without being given the opportunity to defend herself,” Onya told the trial judge. The application is seeking to mandate
“the Attorney General of the Federation, being the agent of the complainant, to facilitate the prompt appearance of the applicant in court on the next adjourned date, to take her plea and to defend the allegations made against her in counts 1, 2,3 and 4 of the charge, numbered FHC/L/35c/2017.”
In his own argument, however, the counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, said the application was not ripe for hearing. He also argued that he had not been served. But Onya said he attempted to serve the application on Oyedepo at the court premises, but that the latter declined while his effort to reach the EFCC was frustrated. The court asked all that all the parties in the application be served before the court would entertain it.