In a courtroom thousands of miles away from Nigeria’s oil fields, jurors at London’s Southwark Crown Court listened on Tuesday to recordings that prosecutors say capture the private tensions at the heart of Nigeria’s oil establishment. The voice on the audio, the court heard, was that of former petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke, allegedly confronting two businessmen over matters now forming the basis of her bribery trial.
The recordings were recovered from a Samsung phone seized when the former minister was arrested in London in 2015. Investigators told the court the device contained conversations between Mrs Alison-Madueke and oil businessmen Olajide Omokore and Kolawole Aluko, recorded the year before her arrest. This was a period when, prosecutors suggest, relations between them had begun to deteriorate.
In one exchange played to the jury, Mrs Alison-Madueke was heard warning Mr Omokore that she would not hesitate to confront the consequences alongside them.
“I will be happy to escort all of you to jail along with myself,” she said, adding that those “managing the thing” had remained silent while others, including associates, were “singing all over the place.”
She also stated: “I do not react well to being blackmailed.”
Another recording captured a tense conversation with Mr Aluko. In it, she reportedly criticised what she described as his conspicuous lifestyle, expressing concern that his public profile could attract unwanted scrutiny. Referring to his association with British supermodel Naomi Campbell, she cautioned that such visibility was ill-timed. According to the account presented in court, she warned that intelligence agencies could take notice and urged discretion.
The court heard her say she was “really annoyed” about suggestions that information existed which could implicate her. Reiterating her stance, she declared that if matters escalated, she would openly address Nigerians about what had transpired, even if it meant accepting blame.
“Let us see who survived, me or you,” she was quoted as saying.
Mr Aluko, in response on the recording, denied ever mentioning her name. He described himself as “loyal like a dog” and disclosed that he had placed certain materials in a safety deposit box. These items, he believed, might protect him from possible jail time.
Prosecutors allege that Mrs Alison-Madueke benefited from bribes connected to the award of oil and gas contracts during her tenure. She faces six counts, including five charges of accepting bribes and one of conspiracy to commit bribery. The prosecution further contends that her lifestyle in the United Kingdom was financed by the businessmen, including purchases allegedly made using payment cards linked to Mr Aluko and his company, Tenka Limited.
Her defence has rejected the allegations. Her lawyer told the court she did not exercise decisive authority over major oil deals, describing her role in the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan as largely procedural, one she calls a “rubber stamp” rather than a central decision-maker.
As the trial continues, ENigeria Newspaper note that the recordings now form part of a public legal reckoning of a Nigerian politician who is being tried in the UK.
For context, the UK claim jurisdiction under its bribery framework since the claimed advantages and actions have significant UK touchpoints, namely London residences, services, and spending.
