A Federal High Court, Abuja, has issued an arrest warrant against the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Gatekeepers News reports that the presiding judge, Justice Bolaji Olajuwon granted the request on Monday after counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Farouk Abdullah, made an oral application.
The former presiding judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu had declined to grant a bench warrant on the grounds that the EFCC failed to enforce a criminal summon issued against the ex-minister on July 24, 2020.
Abdullah who had argued that the office of the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) needed an arrest warrant to enable law enforcement agencies to bring the defendant to Nigeria to answer to charges against her, on Monday, told the court that all efforts by the agency to get the ex-minister extradited when the matter was before Ojukwu were unsuccessful.
He explained 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 sine die pending when the defendant (Alison-Madueke) is arrested and produced in court.
