DNK International By Our Reporter,London.
The trial of Regina v Diezani Alison-Madueke commenced on Monday, 26 January 2026 in London.
It was held at Southwark Crown Court, and is expected to run for approximately 10-12 weeks.
Ms Alison-Madueke faces an eight count indictment for bribery and conspiracy to bribe under UK anti corruption law, to which she has pleaded not guilty.
She has been subject to parallel UK and US investigations for roughly a decade.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI began pursuing associated asset recovery actions in the mid 2010’s, while the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) formally became involved from 2015.
It is estimated that approximately £30 million of British taxpayers’ money has been spent to date, following Ms Alison-Madueke’s arrest in London on October 2,2015 on suspicion of bribery, corruption, and money laundering linked to her tenure as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources.
Ms Alison-Madueke served as:
- Minister of Petroleum Resources, Nigeria (2010–2015)
- President of OPEC, becoming the first and only woman to hold the role (elected at the 166th OPEC Meeting, November 2014)
- Executive Director, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (2006) – the first woman to hold that position
Her father was His Royal Highness Ogbotom Edede, King of the Epie-Atissa Clan, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
During her tenure, Ms Alison-Madueke introduced the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act (2010), which legally required oil and gas operators to source defined percentages of goods, services, and labour from Nigerian companies and workers across project segments.
According to Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) data:
- Local content rose from approximately 5% pre-Act to 26% by 2016
- Increased further to approximately 42–54% by 2021-2023
– By 2024-2025, official statements and press reporting place Nigerian content at around 56%, with a stated strategic target of 70% by 2027.
[DNK-International@January 27,2026]
