Ex-Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani, loses another property to Nigerian government

A former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has temporarily lost a property linked to her to the Nigerian government and may permanently lose it should court ruling fail to come to her favour.

The development came as a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos and presided over by Justice Chuka Obiozor, granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Office, prayer to have the property linked to Alison-Madueke, Donald Chidi Amangbo and Sequoyah Properties Limited, temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government.

The property in contention is located at Plot 9, Azikiwe Road, Old GRA, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The order followed an ex-parte motion by the anti-graft agency dated March 4, 2019.

Justice Obiozor had held, “An interim forfeiture order of this honourable court is hereby granted, forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria the property which are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity.”

The court went further to direct the EFCC to publish the order in any national daily in circulation in Nigeria “and particularly in circulation in Port Harcourt and Lagos.”

The court wants all persons interested in the said property put on notice to “show cause why the final order of forfeiture of the affected property ought not to be made by this court.”

The court fixed May 9, 2019, to give a further ruling on the matter.

Diezani remains one of the prominent top officials of former President Goodluck Jonathan, which current government of President Muhammadu Buhari has accused of looting the country ‘dry’.

READ ALSO: Northern elders accuse Buhari of ‘irresponsibility of governance’

EFCC had some time ago claimed it was making efforts to repatriate the former minister, who has remained in London after the defeat of Jonathan’s government in 2015, to Nigeria so that she can face different corruption allegations levelled against her.

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