Judge Gives EFCC Ultimatum To Extradite Diezani From UK

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday gave the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission until March 2020 to have a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke extradited to Nigeria.

The commission had in November 2018 filed 13 counts of money laundering against the ex-minister accusing her of unlawfully taking into her possession the sums of $39.7m and N3.32bn with which she allegedly bought choice properties in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt in Rivers State, while she was in office.

When the matter came up before her on Tuesday, the judge threatened to strike out the money laundering case should the anti-corruption agency fail to produce the defendant in court by March 2020.