The former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke has vehemently denied any connection to the $52.5 million recently repatriated to Nigeria from the United States. Diezani, through her counsel, Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN), broke the long silence that has surrounded her alleged looting dismissing claims linking her to the funds as baseless and defamatory.
In a fiery statement titled “There is No Such Thing as Diezani Loot,” Ozekhome revealed that the money in question originated from the sale of a seized yacht owned by Nigerian oil magnate Kola Aluko, not Alison-Madueke. According to him, the yacht, named Galactica, was confiscated by U.S. authorities and later sold, with the proceeds transferred to Nigeria.
“A Cocktail of Lies”: Diezani Breaks Her Silence
Describing the allegations as a Diezani’s legal team referred to the accusations as a “cocktail of lies,” stemming from a decade-long campaign of vilification unfairly targeted at her. The statement accused her detractors of spinning “bizarre stories” to tarnish her reputation, despite the lack of any legal conviction.
“Many of the narratives are outrightly false, others sheer outlandish speculations, and most simply bizarre stories cooked up by her traducers,” Ozekhome stated. He called the linking of Diezani to the forfeited funds part of a deliberate agenda to humiliate and discredit her.
“Not a Penny of Diezani Loot”
Ozekhome stressed that the former minister had no involvement in the purchase, use, or forfeiture of the yacht, which was exclusively owned by Kola Aluko, a businessman active long before Diezani’s tenure as minister.
“This is a clear example of the mischievous and cruel sport of tarnishing the image of a lady through a bouquet of falsehoods,” the statement read. “Diezani has never set eyes on the yacht. Linking her to it is nothing more than a tenuous and false narrative.”
A Plea for Fairness
The statement also highlighted a broader issue, the public mob-lynching of technocrats and public servants without concrete evidence. Ozekhome urged the media and the public to allow the law to take its natural course, particularly as Diezani faces ongoing proceedings in the UK.
“We plead that she be accorded fair hearing. Let the law take its course without interference or prejudice,” the statement concluded, calling for an end to what it termed “unrelenting falsehoods.”
Bottom Line: What’s Next for Diezani?
As Diezani continues to battle these allegations from her base in the UK, the case raises pressing questions about the intersection of politics, accountability, and media narratives in Nigeria. Whether her name will be cleared or her critics vindicated remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the story of Diezani Alison-Madueke is far from over.
