Corruption Trial of Former Nigerian Oil Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke Delayed in London
London, Monday, January 26, 2026
The highly anticipated corruption trial of Diezani Alison-Madueke, the former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources and the first woman to serve as president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), experienced an unexpected delay on Monday at the Southwark Crown Court in London.
Legal teams for both the prosecution and defence told the court that procedural and technical issues meant the full start of the trial could not proceed as scheduled. Lawyers said crucial legal matters — including agreements over certain pieces of evidence and the finalisation of juror selection — remained unresolved. As a result, judges indicated the trial might not formally begin until Tuesday, January 27.
The 65-year-old former minister, who served in Nigeria’s federal cabinet from 2010 to 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, is charged with five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery tied to her time in office.
Prosecutors allege Ms. Alison-Madueke accepted lavish benefits from individuals linked to energy firms in exchange for favourable treatment in the award of multi-million-pound contracts — including cash payments, use of luxury London properties, private jet flights, chauffeur-driven cars, furnishings, and designer goods.
The allegations also include payments for private school fees for her son and other “financial or other advantages”, which prosecutors contend amounted to an improper performance of her duties as Nigeria’s petroleum minister.
Ms. Alison-Madueke, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been on bail in the UK since her initial arrest in October 2015 and was formally charged by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency in 2023.
Two co-defendants — Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde — are also facing bribery charges in connection with the case, with Agama appearing before the court via video link.
The proceedings are now expected to resume Tuesday, and the trial itself is projected to run for 10 to 12 weeks, during which the court will hear detailed testimony and examine extensive financial records and other evidence.
