Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke's family on Thursday, October 8, broke its silence on the investigatiion of the ex-minister in London.
The family vehemently denied her much-publicised arrest and detention by the British National Crime Agency over allegations of bribery and corruption.
A statement by the family’s lawyer, Oscar Onwudiwe, also described as false a publication by an online news media that Diezani’s step son, Ugonna, owns three properties in the United States, stressing that two of the properties were purchased in 1995 and 1997, when Ugonna was 8 and 10 years old, respectively, “while the family or a distant relation has no link whatsoever with the third property mentioned by the online publication”.
The lawyer, who claims to also represent Diezani’s mother’s family, Agama, also stated that neither Ugonna, Somze nor Abiye or anyone related to the two families was picked up or arrested by anybody whatsoever.
He said at no time was the former minister’s passport seized, stressing that she was “merely invited, and she honoured it promptly”.
He said: “This may be because they know the stories are false but it feeds the mood of the moment; hence, the silence from Diezani all along. It is worth emphasising that Mrs Alison-Madueke was never arrested or detained and her passport was never seized. She was merely invited, and she honoured it promptly.”