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 served from 2010 to 2015, was the first woman to hold the office of oil minister in Nigeria and the first female president of the global oil cartel, the Organisation of the 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 her arrest 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.

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.

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested Abubakar Malami, former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice.

Malami was arrested at the front of Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja on Monday.

A video circulating online shows the former AGF entering a vehicle apparently belonging to the DSS shortly after leaving Kuje prison.

In the footage, he was heard asking, “Who is the oga among you? Can I see your ID card?”

Efforts to obtain comments from the DSS Deputy Director of Public Relations, Favour Dozie, were unsuccessful, as calls to her phone were not returned.

Officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service confirmed that Malami was released after meeting his bail conditions.

“He has been released. He perfected his bail conditions and was released this afternoon,” one official said. Another added, “He joined the DSS in their vehicle after his release.”

EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale reiterated, “We didn’t pick him up after he was released.”

Malami’s release followed the granting of bail on January 7 by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja. The court granted bail to Malami, his wife, and his son in the sum of N500 million each, with strict conditions.

Each defendant was required to produce two sureties with verifiable landed property within Asokoro, Maitama, or Gwarimpa, deposit property documents with the court, and submit affidavits of means.

They were also ordered to surrender their international passports and barred from travelling abroad without prior permission.

Malami, his wife Asabe, and his son had been remanded at Kuje following their arraignment by the EFCC on December 29, 2025, on a 16 counts, bordering on money laundering involving about N8.7bn.

The EFCC alleged that the defendants used multiple corporate entities, bank accounts, and high-value real estate transactions to conceal proceeds of unlawful activities.

Court documents (FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025) stated that Malami and his son allegedly used Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal over N1.01bn between July 2022 and June 2025, and another N600m allegedly passed through a Sterling Bank account linked to the company between September 2020 and February 2021.

Additionally, the EFCC claimed the trio disguised the origin of N500m used to purchase a luxury duplex on Amazon Street, Maitama.

Malami had been in EFCC custody since December 8, 2025, after failing to meet earlier bail conditions.

On December 18, a Federal Capital Territory High Court presided over by Justice Babangida Hassan upheld his detention as lawful.