Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has accused United Kingdom authorities of damaging her reputation through what she described as a failed corruption prosecution that spanned more than 10 years.
Alison-Madueke, who was acquitted on Wednesday by a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London, made the comments during an interview with BBC on Friday.
She had faced five counts of bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery following a 13-year investigation by the UK’s National Crime Agency.
Speaking after her acquittal, she described the case as “painful and traumatic.”
“I’ve not been allowed to travel. I’ve not been allowed to work. They destroyed my reputation and my integrity,” she told the BBC.
The former minister, who served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015 and became the first female president of OPEC, said the ordeal had a severe psychological impact on her.
“When your freedom is taken away from you, it has a very deep impact upon you psychologically.
“I knew that I had never done anything nefarious and I had never done any of the heinous things I was being accused of doing,” she said.
Alison-Madueke was first arrested in 2015 but was not formally charged until 2023.
Prosecutors alleged she received benefits from oil businessmen with government contracts, including luxury items, chauffeur-driven cars, and access to high-value properties in the United Kingdom.
She also claimed that documents that could have supported her defence went missing in Nigeria after being taken from her Abuja residence in 2015.
“Those items were taken away by our intelligence forces,” she said.
She criticised both Nigerian and UK authorities over how the matter was handled, saying responsibility was shared across institutions.
“There’s a bit of blame everywhere.
“The Nigerian authorities need to look into the processes and practices that they deploy in these cases,” she said.
Alison-Madueke also urged international investigators to exercise caution in politically sensitive cases, saying enforcement actions require greater sensitivity.
“The long arm of the law when you go into other countries, particularly in politically motivated cases, needs to have a lot more sensitivity,” she said.
She further suggested she may have been targeted due to her position in Nigeria’s oil sector, noting her status as the first female petroleum minister and former OPEC president.
Responding, a National Crime Agency spokesperson said the investigation was “long-running, in-depth and complex,” and had been regularly reviewed by prosecutors.
The agency said it worked with international partners and remained impartial in its conduct of the case.
“A comprehensive file of evidence was presented to the CPS who authorised charges and we respect the decision of the jury in court,” the spokesperson said.
Alison-Madueke also addressed previous asset recovery actions linked to her, saying she was never given a chance to challenge some of the claims since she was not formally charged in those matters.
“I was never given the opportunity to fight that because I wasn’t even charged,” she said.
She questioned reports by Nigeria’s anti-graft agency on recovered assets allegedly linked to her, saying she was not fully aware of the outcomes.
“The assets that have been forfeited were not actually traced directly to me.
“I don’t know what has happened to these matters at all. It’s now that I’ll have the freedom to find out what exactly has gone on there,” she said.
Her brother, Doye Agamas, and oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde were also acquitted in the UK trial.