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Diezani Appears in London Court, Denies Bribery Allegations

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Former Nigerian petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke on Tuesday denied multiple bribery charges as her trial opened at Southwark Crown Court in London, where prosecutors accused her of living a “life of luxury” funded by illicit payments.

British prosecutors told the court that Alison-Madueke, 65, accepted bribes between 2011 and 2015 while serving as Nigeria’s minister of petroleum resources under former President Goodluck Jonathan.

According to the prosecution, individuals seeking “lucrative oil and gas contracts” with Nigeria’s state-owned oil company provided her with “significant financial and other advantages” in exchange for influence.

“She should not have accepted benefits from those doing extremely lucrative business with government-owned entities,” the prosecutor said.

Alison-Madueke is accused of receiving financial and other inducements from individuals linked to the Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical groups, which secured contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries.

The court heard that the alleged benefits included £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, private jet flights, refurbishment work and staff costs at London properties, as well as school fees for her son and luxury items from stores such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton.

Alison-Madueke, who also served as president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries from 2014 to 2015, has been linked to several legal cases globally, including in the United States.

In Nigeria, courts seized properties belonging to her and valued at several million dollars in 2017.

Meanwhile, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission still has pending cases against the former minister.

She has been on bail since her arrest in London in October 2015 and formally charged in 2023. She has consistently denied all allegations.

The UK National Crime Agency said at the time it suspected she had “abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts.”

Two others, Doye Agama, her brother, and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also standing trial on related bribery charges.

Trial Judge, Justine Thornton said she hoped the trial would conclude by April 24.

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NNPC Reduces Petrol Price Seven Days after Dangote Slash

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has reduced the price of its premium motor spirit aka petrol seven days after Dangote Refinery adjusted its petrol gantry price.

Reports said on Tuesday that NNPCL retail outlets in Abuja and environs have slashed their petrol to N1,260 per litre, down from N1,335. The new price represents a N75 cut per litre.

Reports from Abuja said the new price has been implemented at NNPCL retail outlets on Kubwa Expressway, Wuse Zone 6 (Berger), and Zone 4.

On June 16, Dangote Refinery reduced its petrol gantry price to N1,175 per litre, which triggered a drop in retail fuel nationwide as a result of reduced crude oil prices.

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Court Remands Sowore in Kuje Prison

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A federal high court in Abuja has ordered the remand of Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his application challenging the revocation of his bail.

Mohammed Umar, the presiding judge, made the order on Monday after dismissing an application by Sowore seeking the judge’s recusal from the case on grounds of alleged bias.

The judge subsequently adjourned hearing on the motion for stay of execution, as filed by Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, Sowore’s new counsel, to June 24.

In a brief ruling, Umar held that Sowore should remain in custody pending the hearing and determination of the application.

Sowore had appeared before the court earlier on Monday, days after the judge revoked the bail earlier granted him and ordered his arrest.

At the last sitting on June 16, the court revoked the activist’s bail after stating that a letter seeking an adjournment on his behalf did not provide reasons for his absence from court.

The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting Sowore on a two-count charge over a social media post in which he allegedly described President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal” on his X and Facebook accounts.

Following the revocation of his bail, the Oyo chapter of the AAC criticised the court’s decision, describing it as political persecution and alleging an attempt to frustrate Sowore’s political activities.

The party had argued that Sowore attended the previous hearing and requested alternative dates because of a scheduled trip.

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Ekiti Guber Election: INEC Declares APC’s Biodun Oyebanji Winner

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.

Oyebanji secured a landslide victory, polling 319,224 votes to defeat his closest challenger, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr. Wole Oluyede, who garnered 40,543 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dare Bejide, came a distant third with 12,872 votes.

The election, held across all 16 local government areas of the state, was overshadowed by reports of irregularities and widespread allegations of vote buying, drawing strong condemnation from observers.

The official results were announced on Sunday morning by the Chief Returning Officer, Professor Adenike Oladiji, who declared Oyebanji duly elected after meeting the constitutional requirements.

In her declaration, Professor Oladiji stated: “I, Professor Adenike Oladiji, hereby certify that I am the Returning Officer for the Ekiti State Governorship Election held on June 20, 2026, and that the election was conducted in compliance with the provisions of the law. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes cast, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”

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