A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an arrest warrant against a former Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Justice Bolaji Olajuwon gave the order following an application by Farouk Abdullah, counsel to the EFCC.
Abdullah told the court that efforts by the EFCC to get the ex-Minister extradited have been futile.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke is the subject of several corruption and money-laundering investigation by the EFCC and has featured in a couple of charges filed in court by the Commission, which had stalled owing to her absence.
Justice Olajuwon granted the request after counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Farouk Abdullah, made an oral application.
The court had fixed November 3, 2021, for the EFCC to give a report on its effort at extraditing Alison-Madueke to the country to stand her trial, and for possible mention of the case, but on the adjourned date, the case was stalled as neither the EFCC nor Alison-Madueke was in sight.
Justice Olajuwon then fixed, January 24, for the matter and adjourned for report or for possible mention of the matter.
However, when the matter was called, Abdullah was in court. He told the court that all efforts by the agency to get the ex-minister extradited when the matter was before the former judge, Justice Ojukwu, were unsuccessful.
According to him, the summons issued by Justice Ojukwu had not been able to achieve its intended goal of extraditing the defendant.
Abdullah, who made an oral application for an arrest warrant, said the application was part of the requirements by the office of the AGF for the extradition.
He said that the arrest warrant was needed to further give the International Police (Interpol) the impetus to bring the defendant to Nigeria to answer to charges against her.
Justice Olajuwon then granted the application and adjourned the matter indefinitely pending when the defendant (Alison-Madueke) is arrested and produced in court.
It would be recalled that Ojukwu had, on October 28, 2020, rejected the EFCC’s prayer to issue a warrant of arrest against Alison-Madueke, citing the commission’s failure to enforce the earlier criminal summons, which the court issued on the former minister since July 24, 2020, saying court orders are not made in vain.
