Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has told a London court that she is innocent of bribery charges and was instead targeted by powerful interests while trying to reform Nigeria’s oil sector.
Testifying at Southwark Crown Court, the former minister denied all allegations that she accepted bribes during her time in office. She said she never abused her position, never asked for gifts or favours, and always acted in good faith while serving the country.
According to her, her troubles began when she entered politics and tried to make changes in Nigeria’s oil industry, which has long been linked with corruption. She told the court that she came from outside the traditional political class and quickly became a target.
“I did not seek or solicit bribes,” she said. “I tried to do my job properly, but I became a target.”
Alison-Madueke also spoke about the challenges she faced as a woman in a male-dominated political system. She described Nigeria as a patriarchal society and said this made her position more difficult and even dangerous.
She told the court that she received threats, including warnings that she could be kidnapped. She added that members of her family were actually kidnapped during her time in office.
By the time of the 2015 general elections, she said, she had been openly told that she would be made a scapegoat for wider problems in the country, including anger over corruption and the state of the economy.
The former minister is facing multiple charges under the United Kingdom’s Bribery Act. Prosecutors allege that she received luxury benefits over several years from businessmen. These benefits allegedly included expensive accommodation, chauffeur-driven cars, private jet flights and designer shopping.
The prosecution also claims that a payment made to her brother was intended to influence the award of oil contracts.
However, Alison-Madueke rejected these claims. She explained that while she did use accommodation and travel arrangements provided during official trips, she believed these were part of standard government procedures.
She said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was responsible for handling logistics for ministers travelling abroad. According to her, the NNPC’s London office sometimes paid expenses in cash, a system she admitted was not ideal.
She told the court that steps were later taken to improve the process by introducing a logistics company to handle bookings and ensure proper documentation.
In her view, the issue is not whether such arrangements existed, but whether they were properly recorded. She argued that the system at the time was poorly documented, making it difficult to clearly separate official expenses from alleged personal benefits years later.
Alison-Madueke also raised concerns about missing records that she believes could help her defence. She said official documents, including ministerial diaries kept by secretaries in Abuja, are no longer available.
According to her, these records would have helped the court better understand her official activities and the decisions she made while in office.
Her testimony also highlighted the realities of Nigerian politics. She explained that public officials are often expected to be constantly accessible, attend to visitors at all hours, and maintain relationships through gift-giving and support for extended family and communities.
She said she tried to set boundaries, especially as a married woman, but this sometimes led to conflict. She recalled an incident where a state governor visited her home in the evening but was turned away. She said the governor later criticised her publicly.
Supporters of the former minister argue that her efforts to introduce reforms while refusing to follow certain informal practices made her unpopular among powerful figures.
Before entering politics, Alison-Madueke had a long career in international institutions. She studied and worked in the United States before returning to Nigeria in 1993 to join Shell.
At Shell, she rose through the ranks and worked in a corporate environment influenced by European standards. Observers say this background may have shaped her approach to governance, which differed from the norms of Nigerian politics.
Her defence team has also pointed to real incidents of violence involving her family to support her claims of being under threat.
Between 2014 and 2015, several members of her family were kidnapped in the Niger Delta. Her sister was abducted in Port Harcourt, while her younger brother and a cousin were also taken in separate incidents. These cases were widely reported at the time and confirmed by the police.
Her lawyers argue that these incidents show that the threats against her were real and form part of the wider context of her situation.
The case has also drawn attention to other individuals involved. One of them is Olatimbo Ayinde, an oil executive who is also facing charges alongside Alison-Madueke and the former minister’s brother, Doye Agama.
Initially, prosecutors presented Ayinde as a key figure in the alleged movement of money and favours. However, Nigerian security and justice officials have since described her as a whistleblower and asked that she be treated differently.
British prosecutors have opposed this request, and legal observers say the court is unlikely to grant it.
The trial continues to attract attention both in Nigeria and abroad, given Alison-Madueke’s high profile and the importance of the oil sector to Nigeria’s economy.
For many Nigerians, the case raises broader questions about corruption, accountability, and the challenges of reforming key institutions.
As proceedings continue in London, Alison-Madueke maintains that she is innocent and insists that her actions were misunderstood.
“I tried to clean up the system,” she told the court, “but instead, I became the target.”
The outcome of the case is expected to have significant implications, not only for the former minister but also for how corruption cases involving Nigerian officials are viewed internationally.