For the umpteenth time, former Petroleum Resources Minister Dr. Ibe Kachikwu has denied allegations that one of his predecessors, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who is presently on trial in a British court for suspected bribery, bought him off.
When the news first surfaced in October 2023, Kachikwu initially denied having any knowledge of or involvement in any transactions with Diezani or her friends.
Prosecutor Alexandra Healy had allegedly told jurors at London’s Southwark Crown Court that, after former President Goodluck Jonathan was succeeded by the late former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, Ayinde paid a “substantial bribe” to Kachikwu to guarantee her buddy continued to work in the NNPC.
Kachikwu expressed his displeasure with this development yesterday, saying, “My attention has been drawn to this recurring allegation again and for the last time, I want to put it on the record that there is no truth to the allegation whatsoever.”
“I used all of my resources, including personal ones, to serve this country. I have disputed this claim time and time again and this time, for the last time
“It’s unfortunate that a British lawyer would rely on hearsay in court to malign anyone and damage their hard earned reputation. For the benefit of those who did not view my previous reaction, I am reproducing my 2023 response to the dramatic but wholly false accusation.
The response for 2023:
Kachikwu: Neither Diezani nor Her Ally Ever Bribed Me
Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, a former minister of petroleum resources, denied yesterday that one of his predecessors, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who is presently on trial for suspected bribery in a British court, had bribed her.
Kachikwu disapproved of certain recent stories, first from The Cable, an online website, which said he was included in the ongoing bribery case against Alison-Madueke in London. Kachikwu said the report’s bias was cruel.
The criminal charges against Alison-Madueke, who was accused of accepting bribes in the form of cash, luxury goods, private jet flights, and the use of upscale properties in Britain in exchange for awarding oil contracts, included Kachikwu and a few other people, as Cable had exclusively reported.
The Cable story claimed to have seen the court proceedings and stated that “Kachikwu was bribed in August 2015 with the intention of influencing his capacity as a foreign public official.”
But in response, Kachikwu said, “I refer to the publication carried by some online media channels indicating that I was mentioned in the charges brought against Deziani Alison-Madueke and others in a London magistrate court.”
“According to the publications, the said charge alleged that I was bribed to induce me to possibly confer some potential business advantage on one of the accused. I would want to clarify that I never met any of the accused before, during, or after my time in public service, and that neither a bribe nor any commercial favors were given to any of the accused during my tenure.
“I was not involved in any attempt to bribe me through anyone, and I did not receive any offers or favors from that.”
