Diezani denies link to $52.5m, says money belongs to Kola Aluko

Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has denied any connection to the $52.5 million recently repatriated from the United States, clarifying that the funds were tied to Nigerian oil entrepreneur Kola Aluko and not her.

On January 10, the federal government announced the recovery of $52.88 million in “Galactica assets” linked to Diezani during a formal asset return agreement in Abuja.

Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, disclosed that $50 million would fund rural electrification projects through the World Bank, while $2.88 million would support anti-corruption and justice initiatives.

However, in a statement released through her attorney, Mike Ozekhome SAN, Diezani dismissed the term “Diezani Loot,” stating:
“The yacht Galactica, from information readily available in the public domain, was purchased by Mr. Kola Aluko. The yacht was neither owned nor ever used by our client. Diezani Alison-Madueke has, in fact, never set her eyes on the yacht.”

The statement also criticized persistent allegations against her as baseless, calling the narratives a “mischievous and cruel sport of tarnishing the image of the lady through a bouquet of consistent, persistent, and unrelenting cocktail of falsehoods.”

Ozekhome emphasized that Diezani was not involved in awarding Strategic Alliance Agreements (SAAs) between Kola Aluko and the NNPC.
“DAM was not the GMD of the NNPC and could not have awarded the said contracts,” he explained.

The statement appealed for fairness and cautioned against prejudicing ongoing UK court proceedings, stating:
“Let the law take its natural course without interference. We humbly pray.”

Diezani’s legal team concluded by urging the public to “leave her alone” and allow the legal process to proceed without undue speculation.