A London court has heard audio recordings in which a former Nigerian oil minister is alleged to have confronted two wealthy oil businessmen accused of bribing her, after their relationships with her reportedly deteriorated.
Prosecutors say Diezani Alison-Madueke, who served as Nigeria’s minister of petroleum resources, was given what they describe as an extravagant lifestyle in the UK, funded by men seeking access to lucrative government oil contracts.
In one recorded exchange played in court, Alison-Madueke can be heard warning: “I will be happy to escort all of you to jail along with myself.”
The 65-year-old denies five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
Seized Phone and Recorded Conversations
The court heard that a Samsung mobile phone belonging to Alison-Madueke was seized by British authorities when she was arrested in London in 2015. Investigators later discovered recordings made the previous year of two private meetings — one with Olajide Omokore, and another with Kolawole Aluko.
Neither Omokore nor Aluko is on trial. However, prosecutors allege that both men paid bribes to Alison-Madueke during her tenure as petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015.
The court was told the conversations occurred at a time when Alison-Madueke believed that Omokore’s wife and Aluko were telling others they possessed damaging information that could destroy her reputation and career.
‘I Do Not React Well to Being Blackmailed’
In the first recording, dated April 2014, Alison-Madueke is heard addressing Omokore directly.
“We who are managing the thing have kept quiet. We’ve kept quiet… while people like your wife are busy singing all over the place,” she said.
As her voice rose, she added: “I do not react well to being blackmailed.”
Warnings Over Lifestyle and Public Attention
A second conversation, recorded a month later, captured a meeting between Alison-Madueke and Aluko. The court heard that Aluko was searched before the meeting began.
During the exchange, Alison-Madueke expressed alarm about what she described as Aluko’s “lavish, lascivious lifestyle” and the attention it was drawing online.
“As far as everybody’s concerned, you’re a playboy,” she told him, accusing him of openly “parading” his relationships with high-profile figures, including British supermodel Naomi Campbell.
“Naomi Campbell — these are not the people for you to be parading,” she said. “Other men do these things, but they don’t parade them. They do them quietly because the time for parading these things was not now.”
Alison-Madueke also warned that she had previously spoken to Aluko about his “general behaviour” and “acquisition of assets”, cautioning him that intelligence agencies could begin monitoring him.
‘I Will Come Out and Tell the Nigerian People’
The former minister told the court recording she was deeply angered by suggestions that Aluko or others were threatening to expose information about her.
“I’m really annoyed to hear this ‘take her down’, and information that you have on me,” she said.
She then issued a stark warning: “I will be happy to escort all of you to jail along with myself. You will be shocked what I will do because when it comes to that, I will come out and tell the Nigerian people this is what happened.”
She continued: “Oh yes, I will blame myself… but I will come out openly and say it so they can judge me openly. And then all of us go and sit on the gate. Let us see who survived, me or you.”
In response, Aluko is heard insisting he had never mentioned her name to anyone.
“I never ever mentioned your name or any other name,” he said, adding that he had placed documents in a safety deposit box containing “whatever I thought could save me, what could save me from jail”.
He described himself as having “a million flaws” but being “loyal like a dog”.
Defence Rejects Prosecution Claims
Earlier in the trial, Alison-Madueke’s defence lawyer told the court that she neither sought nor received any financial benefit from the men. The lawyer also pointed out that neither Omokore nor Aluko has been charged or extradited in relation to the allegations.
Also standing trial is oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who denies one count of bribery connected to Alison-Madueke and a separate charge of bribing a foreign public official.
Alison-Madueke’s brother, former bishop Doye Agama, 69, is also on trial and denies conspiracy to commit bribery.
The proceedings are continuing at Southwark Crown Court.
