Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has appeared before the Southwark Crown Court in London, United Kingdom, for the preliminary hearing of her trial premised on bribery charges.

Alison-Madueke, who was in office from 2010 to 2015, was the first woman oil minister in Nigeria and the first female president of the global oil cartel Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The case was listed on the cause list for Court 8 before Justice Thornton on Monday.

Alison-Madueke was in court for the preliminary hearing ahead of her full trial, scheduled to commence on January 26, 2026.

Preliminary proceedings, including technical matters and jury selection, began this week, with Alison-Madueke in attendance.

The 65-year-old has been on bail since she was first arrested in London in October 2015. She has denied six charges against her.

She was formally charged in 2023 by the UK’s National Crime Agency with offences of accepting bribes between 2011 to 2015.

“We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts,” the NCA said at the time.

According to the indictment, Alison-Madueke benefitted from at least £100,000 ($134,000) in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, and the use of multiple London properties.

The charges also detailed financial rewards including furniture, renovation work, and staff for the properties, payment of private school fees, and gifts from top designer shops such as Louis Vuitton.

The trial is scheduled to begin on Monday, January 26, and is expected to last 10 to 12 weeks.

Two others are also being prosecuted on bribery charges linked to the case: Doye Agama, who appeared in court via video link on Monday, and Olatimbo Ayinde, who was present in the dock.

The Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Rabiu, has described the reported kidnap of over 100 worshippers in Kajuru Local Government as a falsehood being peddled by conflict entrepreneurs seeking to create chaos in the state.

Conflicting reports on Monday claimed that over 100 people were abducted by bandits during a church service at Kurmin Wali village in Kajuru on Sunday.

However, addressing reporters after the State Security Council meeting at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House on Monday, the Commissioner of Police challenged anyone to provide the names of the alleged kidnapped victims and other particulars.

He warned those he described as rumour mongers to desist from attempting to derail the prevailing peace in Kaduna State, adding that the full wrath of the law would be visited on such merchants of falsehood.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government, Dauda Madaki, said that upon hearing the rumour of the attack, he mobilised the police and other security forces to Kurmin Wali, only to find that no attack had occurred.

“We visited the church where the so-called kidnap took place. There was no evidence of any attack. I asked the village head, Mai Dan Zaria, and he confirmed that no such attack occurred.

“I also called the youth leader of the area, Bernard Bona, who was interviewed by the press team that accompanied me, and he said that nothing of the sort happened.

“So, I challenge anyone to provide the names of the kidnapped individuals. I have been waiting for this list, but no one has come forward.

“I believe the rumour of the kidnap is being sponsored by people who are unhappy with the relative peace Kajuru has been enjoying since the coming of this administration,” he added.

He advised the people of the area to remain calm and go about their lawful businesses, urging them to report any suspicious movements or rumour mongers to security agents.

In his response, the Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Sule Shauibu (SAN), said that the CAN chairman and other religious leaders had interacted with the people of the area where the so-called kidnap allegedly occurred.

“They found out that what was circulated to the public was completely false,” he said, assuring that “Kaduna State Government has zero tolerance for criminality.”

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has said that his administration is aware of some non-governmental organisations taking advantage of the demolition exercise in the Makoko area of the state.

The governor, who stated this while addressing journalists, said the NGOs, both local and international, were out to profit from the issues that have emanated from the demolition.

“We are aware that there are some local and international NGOs that want to profit from this. We’re studying, and we’re going to show you evidence,” the governor said.

“They’ve made so much money from international people. And that they’ve asked for so many grants and wealth into those places, and it’s just for them to cover their own lies and the fact that they’ve not done what they said they were going to be doing.

“That’s why they’re all shouting and crying more than the bereaved. And we’re here to face them and to let them see the reasons why we have to do what we’re doing,” he added.

“There have been several, you know, issues and stories here and there on what we’re doing. They mention that we’re doing Makoko and the rest of it,” he added.

He said the state government took the decision “for the overall safety of the citizens”, adding that many of the inhabitants erected buildings under high-tension cable.

“Of what interest will it be for the government to want to unduly demolish anybody’s what, what interest if it is not for the overall safety of the citizens that we’re talking about.

“A lot of these people have built the shanties right under the high-tension wires,” he said.

“And so we cannot be a lawless state of people. Something has to give at some point because we cannot fold our arms and let calamity or disaster happen,” Sanwo-Olu added.

In September 2025, the Lagos State Government announced plans to remove illegal structures built under high-tension cables in the Makoko community, Yaba, Lagos.

The Makoko area is divided between land-based and waterfront areas, which comprise rows of shanties, built on the Lagos lagoon one of the world’s largest cities with an estimated population of over 15 million.