An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Chinedu Eneanya, on Thursday appeared as a witness in the ongoing United Kingdom corruption trial of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, delivering his testimony via video link from the Federal High Court in Abuja in a cross-border judicial proceeding that underscores the international dimensions of the high-profile case.
Mr Eneanya testified before Justice James Omotosho at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, with his evidence transmitted simultaneously to Southwark Crown Court in London, where Justice Thornton is presiding over the substantive trial. The arrangement was facilitated under the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, 2018, following a formal request by UK Central Authorities for Nigerian-based witnesses to testify remotely.
During his evidence-in-chief, Mr Eneanya confirmed that the EFCC received a request from British authorities to examine documents recovered during a search of Mrs Alison-Madueke’s Nigerian residence on October 2, 2015 the same period she was arrested in London. He identified former EFCC Chairman Abdulrasheed Bawa as the investigating officer who led the search and compiled the inventory of recovered materials at the time.
However, under cross-examination by counsel to the first defendant, Mr Eneanya acknowledged that he was not personally part of the search team that raided the ex-minister’s home, despite having been with the Commission since April 2006. He clarified that his own engagement with the seized documents only commenced in late December 2025, when his team was tasked with reviewing the exhibits in response to the UK request.
“Not until last year, December,” he said, when asked whether he had any prior dealings with the recovered exhibits.
The witness was subsequently discharged from the witness box following the conclusion of cross-examination.
The proceedings were not without setback. A lawyer from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Olubunmi Ikupolati, informed Justice Omotosho that efforts to secure the appearance of a second scheduled witness had proved unsuccessful. “My lord, we contacted him since yesterday, but he is not giving any definite answer,” she told the court. The matter was thereafter adjourned, with Thursday’s session forming part of a broader evidentiary process in which Justice Omotosho had already taken testimony from four witnesses on February 25.
The case on Omotosho’s cause list, marked CS/72/2026, lists Mrs Alison-Madueke as the first defendant alongside Ayinde Olatimbo Bukola and Agama Doye as second and third defendants respectively.
Mrs Alison-Madueke, 65, served as Minister of Petroleum Resources from 2010 to 2015, becoming the first woman to hold the office in Nigeria’s history. She also made history on the global stage, serving as the first female president of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries between 2014 and 2015. She was arrested in London in October 2015 and has remained on bail since.
The former minister faces six counts before the UK court five relating to the acceptance of bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery all of which she has denied. British prosecutors allege that she received at least £100,000 in cash alongside an array of material benefits, including private jet travel, chauffeur-driven vehicles, the use and maintenance of London property, luxury goods, and school fees for her son. Authorities contend that these advantages were linked to the awarding of oil and gas contracts during her tenure in office.
The trial, which commenced on January 26 at Southwark Crown Court, is expected to run for between 10 and 12 weeks. Should she be convicted under the UK Bribery Act, Mrs Alison-Madueke faces a maximum custodial sentence of 10 years and an unlimited financial penalty.
