Former Senator Ben Murray Bruce has hailed former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke after seeing her looking good and healthy at her son’s graduation ceremony at Reading University, United Kingdom, this week.
Taking to his Twitter handle on Thursday, Murray Bruce shared a photo of the ex-minister and him, alongside a caption: “Sassy, smart, and always sophisticated. Celebrating with the amazing Diezani Alison-Madueke at her son’s graduation at @UniofReading. Her son’s achievement is a testament to the power of good parenting. Excellence indeed runs in the family.”
The image and caption have sparked reactions from Nigerians with some trolling the ex-minister over embezzlement of public funds.
A tweep, @iniestasolobaby reacted: “After draining oil moneyā¦ā¦..why wonāt her son achieve great thingsā¦ā¦.. journalist of the people @ruffydfire will not discuss this on @ARISEtv
“Because part of the proceeds was used to establish their asleep tv. Later they will say they want a new Nigeria”
@JagabanOlu said, “Excellence of stealing public funds in Nigeria”
In another tweet, he shared an old photo of Dele Momodu and Madueke looking sickly.
He wrote: “Where is Dele Momodu? PDP awon onisonu oshi! Isn’t it a SAD day when Ben Bruce is happy celebrating with a former government official of the PDP that stole huge sums of money through corruption at NNPCā¦ birds of the same feather flock together in Reading! THIS IS INCREDIBLE”
READ ALSO: Embattled Ex-Minister Alison-Madueke Urges Court To Prevent Sales Of Seized Assets By EFCC
@Ozo_Ude commented, “She’s a thief. She stole our money to train her son in the UK. That son trained with public stolen money won’t amount to greatness.”
“Yet dele momodu said she had breast cancer! š³! Miracle no de tire Jesus!!!” Ogie tweeted.
@umejasper on his part said, “They dat put Nigeria in auto reverse shall one day come back to meet Nigeria either as builders or destroyers it is left for posterity to determine. Hustlers can always make common sense”
Recall that in May 2023, Alison-Madueke, prayed the Federal High Court in Abuja to set aside the bench warrant issued against her on 24 July, 2020.
She accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of concealing facts to obtain the bench warrant, contending that she was not on the run but travelled to the United Kingdom in 2015 to get treatment after being diagnosed with āthe most aggressive form of breast cancer ā Triple Negative Cancer.ā
Alison-Madueke served as minister between 2010 and 2015 in former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government.
Allison-Madueke, in a motion on notice brought by her counsel, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), urged Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon to extend the time within which she could seek leave to apply for the order discharging the bench warrant.
READ ALSO: Abuja Court Orders Forfeitures Of Diezani Alison-Maduekeās Properties, Issues Warrant
The ex-minister urged the court to strike out her name as āa defendant in charge number: FHC/ABJ/CR/208/2018 between the Federal Republic of Nigeria V. Diezani Alison Madueke, pending before this honourable court.ā
The motion, which has FRN as complainant/respondent, had Alison-Madueke as the sole defendant/applicant.
NAN reports that the Federal Government, through the EFCC, had, in an ex-parte motion, sought a bench warrant against Alison-Madueke.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, who granted the order on July 24, 2020, after the anti-corruption lawyer moved the motion, directed that Alison-Madueke should be arrested by local or international police anywhere she was sighted within or outside the country.
The development followed the inability of the EFCC to extradite her back to the country from the United Kingdom, where she resides, to stand trial for the money laundering charges pressed against her by the EFCC.
The case was, however, reassigned to Justice Olajuwon following the transfer of Ojukwu to the Calabar division of the court in 2021.
The ex-minister, in the five grounds attached to the motion, said the bench warrant was issued without jurisdiction, and ought that it be set aside ex debito justitiae.
She argued that it was issued in breach of her right to fair hearing.
She further argued that she had neither been served with the charge sheet nor the proof of evidence in charge numbered FHC/ABJ/CR/208/2018.
READ ALSO: Court Fix October For Diezaniās Suit Against EFCC Over Property Forfeiture
āThe ex parte application for an order of bench warrant against the defendant/applicant was obtained upon gross misstatements, misrepresentations, non-disclosure, concealment and suppression of material facts and this honourable court has the power to set aside same ex debito justitiae, as a void order is as good as if it was never made at all,ā she said.
In the affidavit she personally deposed to, Alison-Madueke averred that she had resided in the UK since May 22, 2015, when she voluntarily travelled for medical treatment.
She said that towards the end of Jonathanās administration, she was diagnosed with āthe most aggressive form of breast cancer ā Triple Negative Cancer.ā
āI hurriedly flew into England on May 22, 2015, in order to undertake a critical course of treatment, which consisted of two operations, eight months of intensive chemotherapy and five weeks of radiotherapy and I have remained in England ever since then, where I have undergone intensive medical care and treatment.
āIn the course of receiving my treatment and only one week after completing the eight-month course of treatment in my extremely aggressive chemotherapy (during which time I was erroneously put into a near fatal coma), on October 2, 2015, I was invited by the UK National Crime Agency, to the Charing Cross Police Station, London, where I was questioned for several hours and subsequently released on police bail.
āPrior to that time, the officers of the NCA had invaded my personal residence and conducted a search, carting away with them several documents and other valuable items.
āSince then, I have consistently and severally been invited for interviews by the NCA, many of which have been serially adjourned or postponed to future dates due to no fault of mine.ā