Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has declared that God has “completely vindicated” her after a United Kingdom court acquitted her of all corruption-related charges following a legal battle that lasted more than a decade.
Speaking after the verdict delivered on Wednesday at Southwark Crown Court in London, Alison-Madueke expressed relief that the long-running case had finally ended. “I am deeply relieved. My name is cleared. This nightmare is over,” she said in a statement, adding that she was grateful to God Almighty for His faithfulness and for “completely vindicating” her.
Alison-Madueke, who served as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources under former President Goodluck Jonathan from 2010 to 2015, was first arrested in London in October 2015. British prosecutors subsequently charged her with five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
The prosecution alleged that she received more than £100,000 and other benefits from oil and gas executives seeking lucrative contracts. According to the charges, the benefits included private jet travel, chauffeur-driven vehicles, luxury goods, the use and maintenance of a London property, and the payment of her son’s school fees.
She stood trial alongside Ayinde Olatimbo Bukola and Agama Doye after proceedings commenced in January 2026. Throughout the trial, the former minister consistently denied all allegations brought against her by the prosecution.
Following more than 46 hours of jury deliberations, the court returned not-guilty verdicts on all counts against Alison-Madueke. Reacting to the decision, she said the case had tormented her and her family for 11 years and that the period of “relentless and unjust vilification, condemnation and scrutiny” had finally come to an end. However, despite her acquittal in the United Kingdom, she still faces pending corruption and money laundering cases in Nigeria.
Elijah Adeyemi
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