The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has opposed former Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke’s attempt to rely on her acquittal by a United Kingdom court in her ongoing legal battle over assets in Nigeria.
The anti-graft agency urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to reject the former minister’s further or supplementary affidavit containing evidence of her June 17, 2026 acquittal by the Southwark Crown Court in London.
The EFCC argued that the UK judgment was not relevant to the issues the Nigerian court is being asked to determine.
The dispute came up before Justice Inyang Ekwo in Abuja as part of Alison-Madueke’s suit challenging actions involving assets allegedly linked to her.
EFCC Rejects Relevance of UK Acquittal
In a further counter-affidavit dated and filed on October 5, the EFCC maintained that Alison-Madueke’s acquittal in the United Kingdom arose from a separate criminal proceeding that was not before the Nigerian court.
The commission argued that the London proceedings and the Nigerian asset case were distinct matters and that the UK judgment should not alter the issues already before Justice Ekwo.
According to the EFCC, the proceedings at the Southwark Crown Court concerned allegations that were not being prosecuted before a Nigerian court and therefore had no bearing on the substantive suit in Abuja.
The commission consequently asked the court to disregard the supplementary affidavit and the evidence relating to Alison-Madueke’s acquittal.
Alison-Madueke Seeks to Present UK Judgment
The latest dispute followed a decision by Justice Ekwo earlier in the proceedings to allow Alison-Madueke to file a further affidavit concerning her acquittal.
Her legal team had argued that the UK judgment constituted a subsequent and material development that occurred while the Nigerian case was still pending.
The application was initially not opposed by the EFCC, allowing the former minister to file the additional process. The commission subsequently filed its further counter-affidavit challenging the relevance of the material.
Alison-Madueke is challenging actions taken by the EFCC concerning assets and personal effects in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/21/2023, in which the EFCC is the sole respondent.
Her legal team, led by senior lawyer Mike Ozekhome, has argued that the acquittal should be brought to the attention of the Nigerian court because it occurred after earlier processes in the case had been filed.
The argument is not that the Nigerian court should act as an appellate court over the UK proceedings, but that the subsequent development could be relevant to questions surrounding due process, property rights and the circumstances surrounding the forfeiture proceedings.
EFCC Disputes Ownership of Properties
The commission also challenged the suggestion that the properties listed in its public sale notice necessarily belonged to Alison-Madueke.
In its counter-affidavit, the EFCC said there was nothing in the public sale notice establishing that the listed properties belonged to the former minister.
The agency further argued that the forfeiture order relevant to the proceedings was limited to jewellery and did not extend to other categories of assets or properties.
The EFCC therefore maintained that the supplementary affidavit introduced matters outside the scope of the original dispute.
It argued that a party should not use fresh processes to expand the issues already placed before the court.
Court Adjourns Pending Motions
During Tuesday’s proceedings, Alison-Madueke’s counsel, Queen-Ubokutom Uwe, informed Justice Ekwo that the matter had been scheduled for hearing of the EFCC’s preliminary objection and the substantive originating motion.
She also told the court that the EFCC had served her legal team with a fresh process shortly before the proceedings.
EFCC counsel Paul Mgbeoma expressed concern about the number of processes being filed by Alison-Madueke’s legal team but said he was prepared to proceed.
Justice Ekwo subsequently fixed November 11, 2026, for the hearing of the pending motions.
Diezani Was Acquitted of Six UK Charges
The EFCC’s objection follows Alison-Madueke’s acquittal at Southwark Crown Court in London on June 17, 2026.
A jury found her not guilty of all six bribery-related charges brought against her following a trial that lasted several months. The charges comprised five counts of bribery and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
The UK case followed an investigation by the National Crime Agency and concerned allegations arising from the period when Alison-Madueke served as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources.
Alison-Madueke denied the allegations.
Her acquittal in the UK is separate from legal proceedings involving assets and other allegations in Nigeria. The UK verdict does not, by itself, determine the outcome of the Nigerian proceedings.
What Happens Next?
The Federal High Court in Abuja is expected to consider the competing arguments when the pending motions come up for hearing on November 11.
The immediate issue is whether Alison-Madueke’s supplementary affidavit and evidence concerning her UK acquittal should form part of the material the court considers in determining her Nigerian asset-related case.
The EFCC maintains that the London proceedings are separate and irrelevant to the issues before the Abuja court, while Alison-Madueke’s legal team argues that the acquittal is a subsequent development that should be considered in determining questions raised in the Nigerian proceedings.
The court’s decision on the pending applications will determine whether the UK judgment becomes part of the evidentiary material considered in the case.