Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has said that the long-running corruption investigation by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency had a severe personal and reputational impact on her life, despite her eventual acquittal in court.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC after being cleared of bribery charges in London, she said the years-long probe restricted her movement, affected her career, and left lasting emotional and psychological consequences.
“I’ve not been allowed to travel. I’ve not been allowed to work. They destroyed my reputation and my integrity,” she said.
Alison-Madueke, who served under former President Goodluck Jonathan and later became the first female head of OPEC, described the experience as “painful and traumatic,” adding that it affected both her and her family deeply.
She said the loss of freedom during the investigation had a profound psychological impact, insisting she maintained her innocence throughout the process.
“When your freedom is taken away from you, it has a very deep impact upon you psychologically,” she said, adding that she had “never done anything nefarious” as alleged.
Alison-Madueke was arrested in London in 2015 but was formally charged years later in 2023. She was accused of receiving luxury gifts and benefits linked to oil industry contracts in Nigeria, allegations she consistently denied.
After trial proceedings at Southwark Crown Court, she was acquitted of five counts of bribery and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
She said the handling of the investigation could have been more balanced and urged both Nigerian and foreign authorities to exercise greater sensitivity in cross-border corruption cases involving politically exposed persons.
When asked about responsibility for the collapse of the case, she said: “There’s a bit of blame everywhere.”
The former minister also disclosed plans to challenge certain asset forfeiture proceedings connected to her name, arguing that she was unable to properly respond to some allegations because she was never formally charged in those matters.
Her acquittal, alongside those of oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and her brother Doye Agama, brought an end to one of the most closely watched international corruption cases involving a former Nigerian public official.
