• Former Nigerian Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke has denied recent reports of an interview in London where she allegedly begged President Tinubu to allow her to return to Nigeria amid corruption charges
• Alison-Madueke, who fled Nigeria in 2015 and faces corruption charges in both Nigeria and the UK, described the reports as "fake" and "concocted"
• The purported interview debunked by the ex-minister had claimed she was willing to confess to financial misconduct and implicated Zamfara state Governor Dauda Lawal in the corruption scandal

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London, UK - Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former minister of petroleum, has denied granting an interview in London recently where she begged President Bola Tinubu to allow her to return home.

Mrs Alison-Madueke, who served in Goodluck Jonathan's government, fled Nigeria in 2015 and has been in the United Kingdom (UK). She is facing corruption charges in Nigeria and the UK.

On Saturday, December 23, viral social media posts claimed that the former minister spoke with journalists in London, during which she indicted the current Governor of Zamfara state, Dauda Lawal.

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The post was also shared on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)'s Instagram handle but was later deleted.

Legit.ng gathers that EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale said the post was not authorised.

Alison-Madueke denies granting interview

Reacting in an interview with Premium Times, Mrs Alison-Madueke said she did not grant any interview recently and described the report as “fake” and “concocted.”

“I did not grant an interview to anyone and therefore did not say any of the things attributed to me. It is fake news concocted for reasons I do not know,” Mrs Alison-Madueke was quoted as saying.

What Alison-Madueke said in purported interview

In the purported interview, Alison-Madueke allegedly implored President Tinubu to allow her to return to Nigeria and confess to financial misconduct during her tenure as minister.

She expressed readiness to disclose details of the funds she allegedly misappropriated.

Claiming to be a born-again Christian and battling cancer, she asked for forgiveness and the opportunity to return home and contribute to the nation.

Alison-Madueke also allegedly indicted Governor Lawal in the reported corruption scandal.

Mrs Alison-Madueke, however, said she did not grant the interview and that she did not say any of the things that were credited to her.

PDP demands apology from EFCC

Meanwhile, the Zamfara state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded an apology from the EFCC over the Instagram post implicating Governor Lawal in alleged fraud with Allison-Madueke.

In a statement made available to Legit.ng, the PDP's state publicity secretary, Alhaji Aliyu Bello Oando, highlighted that Governor Dauda Lawal was acquitted of all corruption charges by Nigeria's Supreme Court on March 12, 2021.

Alhaji Oando expressed disappointment in the EFCC for allowing the dissemination of fake news on its platform.

Source: Legit.ng