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Due to technical and legal issues, Diezani Alison-Madueke’s trial in London’s corruption case began on Monday, according to lawyers.

Also read: Ex-Minister Diezani Reappears In London Court for “£100, 000 Bribery” Trial.

The 65-year-old, who became the first woman to lead OPEC between 2010 and 2015, when Goodluck Jonathan was the country’s president, is accused of accepting five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiring to commit bribery.

According to lawyers, the trial may not begin until Tuesday because both the prosecution and defense teams need to come to terms with specific evidence that may or may not be examined during the proceedings and decide who the jurors will be.

Between 2011 and 2015, Alison-Madueke is accused of accepting “financial or other advantages” from individuals connected to the SPOG Petrochemical and Atlantic Energy companies.

These included £100, 000 ($137, 000) in cash, staff costs at several London properties, furniture, chauffeur-driven cars, and a private jet flight to Nigeria.

Other allegations include receiving bribes, including school expenses for her son, Louis Vuitton and other high-end products from Harrods and other outlets.

According to the indictment, accepting these bribes constituted “improper performance” of her duties as oil minister.

Before the trial, which is scheduled to last 10 to 12 weeks, she made an appearance in a London court last week for preliminary proceedings, including jury selection and technical matters.

On bribery-related bribery-related charges, two others, Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also facing charges.

“Power Abuse”

Since her initial arrest in London in October 2015, Alison-Madueke has been on bail.

She has denied the accusations leveled at her.

According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), she was formally charged with accepting bribes in 2023.

Diezani Alison-Madueke allegedly misused her position in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for signing multi-million-pound deals, according to the NCA at the time.

The NCA, which targets organized crime and serious international crime, announced earlier in 2023 that it had provided evidence to US prosecutors allowing them to recover assets worth $53.1 million related to Alison-Madueke’s alleged corruption.

According to the US Department of Justice, the documents included a 65-meter (213-foot) superyacht, the Galactica Star, as well as expensive real estate in California and New York, as well as.

Alison-Madueke studied architecture in the oil city of Port Harcourt in 1960 before working for Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary. She was born to a wealthy family in Port Harcourt.

She served three significant political positions, first as Minister of Mines and Steel Development and then as Minister of Mines and Steel Development in 2007.

In April 2010, Jonathan appointed her Minister of Petroleum Resources after Yar’Adua passed away.

She became the first woman to lead OPEC in 2014, a position she held for about a year.

A request to stop Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) employees from continuing their ongoing strike has been delayed until January 27th, according to the National Industrial Court in Abuja.

After hearing the counsel’s opinions of both parties, Justice Emmanuel Subilim adjourned the case for decision.

The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, who is suing the court to compel the stricken FCTA workers to resign from their jobs, filed the lawsuit.

The workers started the strike because of allegedly unresolved welfare issues, including unpaid pay for five months, long-standing promotions, and unfavorable working conditions.

READ ALSO: FCTA, FCDA Workers Start Strike Over “Unmet Demands,” Shut Down Operations.

The FCT Minister and the FCTA are named as defendants in the lawsuit, while Rifkatu Iortyer, the JUAC’s president and secretary, and Abdullahi Saleh are named as defendants.

Maxwell Okpara, the defendants’ attorney, urged the court to join the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as respondents, contending that their inclusion would impose any ruling of the court on them.

However, James Onoja, SAN, the FCT Minister’s attorney, refrained from submitting the request, arguing only that the two defendants’ suits were legitimately brought against them. He also noted that they are not registered under the Trade Union Act.

Onoja argued that the Federal Capital Territory’s essential services have been undermined by the industrial action and demanded that the court grant the request and order the striking workers to go back to work.

Justice Subilim ruled in his decision regarding the joinder application that the court couldn’t compel the defendants to add more defendants because the claimants had chosen to sue only the two defendants.

A request to stop Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) employees from continuing their ongoing strike has been delayed until January 27th, according to the National Industrial Court in Abuja.

After hearing the counsel’s opinions of both parties, Justice Emmanuel Subilim adjourned the case for decision.

The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, who is suing the court to compel the stricken FCTA workers to resign from their jobs, filed the lawsuit.

The workers started the strike because of allegedly unresolved welfare issues, including unpaid pay for five months, long-standing promotions, and unfavorable working conditions.

READ ALSO: FCTA, FCDA Workers Start Strike Over “Unmet Demands,” Shut Down Operations.

The FCT Minister and the FCTA are named as defendants in the lawsuit, while Rifkatu Iortyer, the JUAC’s president and secretary, and Abdullahi Saleh are named as defendants.

Maxwell Okpara, the defendants’ attorney, urged the court to join the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as respondents, contending that their inclusion would impose any ruling of the court on them.

However, James Onoja, SAN, the FCT Minister’s attorney, refrained from submitting the request, arguing only that the two defendants’ suits were legitimately brought against them. He also noted that they are not registered under the Trade Union Act.

Onoja argued that the Federal Capital Territory’s essential services have been undermined by the industrial action and demanded that the court grant the request and order the striking workers to go back to work.

Justice Subilim ruled in his decision regarding the joinder application that the court couldn’t compel the defendants to add more defendants because the claimants had chosen to sue only the two defendants.

The governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Soludo, has ordered the immediate shutdown of the Onitsha Main Market and other adjacent markets for one week in the first instance in an effort to enforce the state’s strict ban on the controversial Monday sit-at-home order.

Read more about Anambra’s abolishes a sit-a-home, claims that errant workers may forfeit wages.

The market would be closed for another week and then for longer periods if traders didn’t start trading before the one-week shutdown ended.

“And let me tell you this: when I finish this, I’m speaking to you.” This entire main market and all of the nearby markets will remain closed throughout the week.

“Nowhere in this country will have a market.” Do you hear what I’m saying? We’ll come over on Monday to inspect. Soludo said in a statement to traders at the market on Monday that if people aren’t in their respective stores, they will shut them down once more.

I don’t mind closing Main Market for the remainder of this year if you like it. If you don’t like it, trade elsewhere. However, we won’t permit this if you’re here.

We also suspect that anyone who closes their shop has some criminal intent, he continued. “It’s plain economic sabotage.”

Despite government orders and warnings to disobey the sit-at-home order imposed by non-state actors, traders at the well-known Onitsha markets have repeatedly defied the government’s orders to open for business on Monday.

He argued that the closure was necessary to strengthen the state’s authority, send the appropriate signals, and protect law-abiding citizens.

He contends that the government cannot continue to watch as a select few people wilfully violate public safety and ignore official instructions intended to restore normalcy.

“Everywhere is open, even the ones I’m from are from Akwa.” Government offices are accessible. People are running their businesses because the markets are open. Then you’ll descend to West Africa’s Main Market, which was once regarded as the world’s largest market.

Anyone who hasn’t “opened” the main market, or any other market, will be shot down. I am aware of the sit-at-home culture that people have practiced on Mondays for a while, and according to legends, “anyabomination that lasts a year becomes culture.”

“No! In Anambra, this is no longer tolerated. Do you hear what I’m saying? You can either decide to trade here or choose to relocate elsewhere, as I’ll explain to you. Do you hear what I’m saying?

If you don’t want to open this main market, I’ll come in and level it with a bulldozer. Do you hear what I’m saying? And I take it very seriously. I’m not making fun of myself.

Any stores that aren’t open will be locked for a week, the governor continued.

Sit-At-Home “Order”

The Soludo administration has publicly condemned the order, which has been in place for about four years, and has severely impacted economic and social activity in the South-East.

The state government had urged residents to refrain from fear and refrain from engaging in illegal behavior, which it described as economic sabotage against the area.

Later, security personnel, including police and army personnel, were dispatched to secure compliance and seal the market gates.

A Monday sit-at-home has been a trend for parts of Anambra State for years, leaving businesses, schools, and workplaces deserted.

Non-state actors in the South-East have long criticized the practice because it forces traders, transport workers, and students to stay indoors, especially in cities like Onitsha, and it harms the state’s economy.

The shutdown has been a key focus of efforts led by Governor Chukwuma Soludo.

He announced an end to the sit-at-home in April 2022, promised a peace and reconciliation committee, and announced amnesty for youths hiding out.

Kabiru Dakata, the governor’s general of the Kano State Signage and Advertising Agency, refutes rumors that Governor Abba Yusuf resigned from the New Nigeria Peoples Party in order to pursue personal goals.

Read more about “Betrayal Of Trust,” NNPP blasts governor Yusuf over exit, and refutes claims of internal crisis in R.A.

Dakata claimed that the governor’s planned move to the All Progressive Congress (APC) was intended to align the Kano with the government at the center.

He claims that states that are under the control of the APC benefit more from the federal government than those that are.

He claimed that the center would be more reliant on Yusuf’s departure to receive more funding and assistance.

The neighboring states that are members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) benefit more from the center than Kano State, and I don’t believe it is unfair for the center to favor states that fall under the All Progressive State (APC), the party that controls the state. Therefore, it is not a charge.

He said, “It’s an opportunity for the party to improve in the state controlling.”

He continued, “If a political leader believes he can perform better on a particular platform, I think he should be encouraged to take that step.” In addition, he continued, “If a political leader believes that he can perform better on a particular platform, I think he should be encouraged to do so.” Therefore, it is all about him; it is not about his personal goals.

Dakata further explained that Governor Yusuf’s agreement with the Federal Government resulted in funding for a significant project in the state that had been delayed due to a lack of funds.

His Excellency Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, three previous governors, all exerted their best efforts. His Excellency Abba Yusuf Kabir completed a portion of the project when he arrived and completed another portion.

The Wuju-Wuju project, he said, has received more than $46 billion as a result of this alignment.

A political leader should be encouraged to take the position that “not about his personal interest,” he continued, and that decision should be made because he believes he can perform on a particular platform.

Gov. Defection

After weeks of speculation, the governor of Kano State abruptly left the NNPP. On Monday, January 26, 2026, he is expected to formally join the APC.

He cited persistent internal crises and the need to defend the state’s citizens’ interests as his justification in a letter of resignation addressed to the NNPP chairman in Gwale Local Government Area on January 23, 2026.

These disagreements, in his opinion, have caused party unity and division to grow deeper.

However, Yusuf’s resignation from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) was denounced by the National Working Committee (NWC), which described his action as a betrayal of the government’s mandate.

The party criticized the governor for saying the NNPP was engulfed in an unresolved internal crisis in a statement released on Saturday, insisting that such claims were unsupported and made after the fact.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses (ICPC) has appointed the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).

Read more recently: FG Files Criminal Charges Against Ozekhome Over UK Property Case

However, the development prevented Ozekhome’s planned arraignment in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on the three-count charge against him, which includes forgery, that the ICPC had filed against him.

Rotimi Oyedepo, the director of public prosecution of the Federation, stated at the time that he was representing the AGF and informed the court that the AGF had chosen to transfer the case to the ICPC.

Oyedepo claimed that Section 174 of the Constitution gave him the authority to act under his own rules.

Osuebeni Akpomisingha, the ICPC’s attorney, did not oppose the AGF’s acquisition of the case.

Kanu Agabi, a former attorney general of the Federation and the head of a team of lawyers that included 15 SANs for the defense, did not oppose Fagbemi’s decision to take charge of the case.

Justice Peter Kekemeke adjourned until February 24 for arraignment following an Oyedepo request for an adjournment that was denied by Agabi.

Property Debate

The late Jeremiah Useni, a former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), was set for January 26th, and the Federal High Court Abuja had scheduled a decision on that matter.

The court’s decision came after a person or representative from Useni’s estate failed to show cause to the Federal Government that the property should not be forfeited within the 14-day deadline.

The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) filed an ex parte request for an interim forfeiture and preservation order over the disputed property in late 2025, alleging that it was acquired with proceeds from unlawful activity.

The CCB was ordered to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national newspaper within 14 days, and Justice Binta Nyako granted it on November 28. This request was for “any person or body” with an interest in the property to come forward and demonstrate legitimate acquisition.

Ozekhome (SAN) and Useni, a retired lieutenant-general, are the owners of the property, which is located at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX.

The dispute was filed with the UK’s First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Land Registry under case number ref/2023/0155, with Ozekhome serving as the respondent and Tali Shani serving as the applicant.

One “Ms. Tali Shani” on one hand and Ozekhome on the other claimed the property.

The SAN claimed that “Mr. Tali Shani” gave the house to him in 2021, but “Ms. Shani’s” attorneys asserted that she was the property’s owner.

According to a witness identified as “Mr. Tali Shani,” Ozekhome claimed that he had “powers of attorney” over the property and that he had given it to the respondent (Ozekhome) for the property.

Useni was described as “elder friend and business partner,” and Mr. Tali Shani claimed to be the property’s owner from 1993.

However, Ms. Tali Shani’s witnesses filed a number of documents, including an NIN card, an NIN card, an ECOWAS passport, phone number, etc. to claim property ownership.

However, the tribunal determined that all of Ms. Tali Shani’s documents were fake.