From: Magnus Eze, Abuja

The British Government has said the extradition of Nigeria’s former Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, to face corruption charges in Nigeria, was possible but that it would be on the request of the Nigerian Government.

Mrs. Madueke is currently facing corruption trial in the United Kingdom.

Responding to a letter by the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations, ‘Our Mumu Don Do’, led by musician Charles Oputa (Charly Boy) and the Concerned Nigerians, led by Deji Adeyanju, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said their requests should follow the “diplomatic channel.”

The letter, signed by a member of the Whitehall Nigeria Unit of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Oyebowale Oworu, declined to say whether the Nigerian Government had applied for extradition.

However, the letter stated that “Nigeria is a designated extradition partner of the United Kingdom under the London Scheme for Extradition with the Commonwealth”.

The latter, dated November 10, and addressed to the London Coordinator of the coalition, Bob Olukoya, the communication was a fallout of a march by the group on 10 Downing Street, last month, where it handed a letter for the British Prime Minister, requesting the extradition of Mrs. Madueke.

But the Federal Government, last month, said it had no plans to seek repatriation of the former minister, since she was already being investigated in the United Kingdom.