EX-MINISTER DEIZANI ARRESTED IN LONDON: Granted bail; as EFCC seals her Abuja home

The Immediate past petroleum minister, Deizani Alison-Madueke, was on Friday arrested in London by the United Kingdom National Crime Agency, for alleged money laundering related offence has been granted bail, even as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, raided and sealed her Abuja home.

ADVOCATE gathered that she was granted bail by a magistrate court in London after she had been detained for several hours. The London Police also confirmed that she is being prosecuted for alleged money laundering.

Mrs Alison-Madueke was arrested in London on Friday along with four other persons in relation to corruption allegations being investigated by the UK National Crime Agency.

Investigations revealed that the UK Police picked up Alison-Madueke on Friday in connection with offences bordering on fraud and bribery.

The Spokesman for the UK High Commission in Abuja, Joe Abuku, confirmed to the media that five persons were arrested by the agency, whose identities are yet to be known as at the time of this report.

It was gathered that the Seizure Organised Crime Agency within the National Crimes Agency of the UK arrested Deziani at the instance of the EFCC which has been discretely probing her.

Meanwhile operatives of Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have raided and sealed the Abuja home of a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, and few hours after she was arrested in London.

EFCC agents arrived Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s palatial home, located in the Asokoro district of Abuja, and sealed the property Friday evening.

An Abuja resident, who witnessed the raid, said, “I just left the place. More and more of them (EFCC operatives) are arriving, with two Buses, three hilux trucks and about five saloon cars. They are breaking something inside, may be doors.

“You can hear the noise. There are two uniformed operatives outside and two at the backyard. I saw also a man brought in in a black Toyota Corolla with a video camera and immediately started video recording from outside the gate and then went into the compound. I observed those operations for about three hours before I left.”

Investigations revealed that the EFCC dispatched a team of crack investigators to the residence of Alison-Madueke at Frederick Chiluba Avenue, Asokoro, moments after the commission was alerted that the investigation had commenced in the UK, where the ex-petroleum minister has been holed up since leaving office in May.

Meanwhile, the Presidency in Nigeria has declined to comment on the arrest of the former Petroleum Minister.