Tag: United Kingdom

Money-laundering trial: ‘Diezani Alison-Madueke spent £2m at Harrods’, UK court hears

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Diezani UK court

More than £2m was spent at Harrods on behalf of a then-Nigerian oil minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, accused of accepting bribes from industry figures interested in government contracts, a court in London has heard. Diezani Alison-Madueke, 65, is alleged to have been provided with “a life of luxury in the United Kingdom”, including access to multimillion-pound properties, a chauffeur-driven car, travel by private jet, and £100,000 in cash. Other benefits she allegedly received included £4.6m spent on refurbishing properties in London and Buckinghamshire, the trial at Southwark Crown Court was told.…

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UK to return over $9.5m looted funds to Nigeria

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UK to return looted funds

The Bailiwick of Jersey, in the United Kingdom (UK) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Government of Nigeria to return more than $9.5 million identified as proceeds of corruption, with the repatriated funds earmarked to support a major infrastructure project. His Majesty’s Attorney General for Jersey, Mark Temple KC, signed the MoU in December 2025, paving the way for the return of the funds to Nigeria. The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the British High Commission, through Stephen Odekunle, where it added that…

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Insecurity: UK warns citizens against traveling to 6 Nigerian states

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UK warns citizens

The United Kingdom (UK)’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), has warned its citizens against traveling to six states in Nigeria, over what it described as escalating insecurity, violent crime, terrorism, and kidnappings across multiple regions. In the latest edition of its ‘Foreign Travel Advice’, published on the website of the GOV.UK yestetday, the FCDO stated that with the increasing insecurity across Nigeria, coupled with kidnappings, violent crimes, and intercommunal violence throughout all regions of Nigeria, its citizens should be mindful where they travel to. The advisory, which listed Borno,…

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Air Peace commences direct flight from Abuja to London

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Air Peace commences

Air Peace, an indigenous airline, has commenced direct flights from Abuja to London Heathrow, the United Kingdom (UK). Speaking at the ceremonial take-off of the direct flight on Sunday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the Chairman of Air Peace, Chief Allen Onyema, praised the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, for his bold intervention. He told assembled guests: “I could remember when the Customs introduced a 4% FOB charge for our imports — aviation operators. We went to the Honourable Minister, and he stepped into it…

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UK Supreme Court dismisses P&ID appeal

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UK S'Court on P&ID

…Orders £43m payment to Nigeria The United Kingdom (UK)’s Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal filed by Process & Industrial Development (P&ID), affirming that the £43 million cost award granted to Nigeria should be paid in pound sterling and not in naira. In a unanimous decision delivered on Wednesday by a five-member panel comprising Robert Reed, Dame Simler, David Richards, Ben Stephens, and Patrick Hodge, the court ruled that there was no basis to alter the currency of payment, noting that Nigeria had paid its lawyers in pounds throughout the…

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500 years after church split, 

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Pope and King reunite

Pope and King reunite For the first time in nearly five centuries, the Heads of the world’s two most prominent Christian traditions, the Pope and the King of England stood side by side in prayer.  Inside the hallowed walls of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, joined voices to recite the Lord’s Prayer in English. Observers said this is clearly a gesture loaded with history, symbolism, and hope. It was not another royal visit or diplomatic…

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UK adds Nigeria to methanol poisoning travel warning list

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UK methanol

The United Kingdom (UK)’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, (FCDO), has added Nigeria to its list of countries where British nationals are advised to exercise caution regarding the risk of methanol poisoning from contaminated alcoholic drinks. The new update is part of a larger update to the FCDO’s guidance, which now covers eight additional nations where reports of methanol poisoning have been reported. The eight countries added to the advisory list are: Nigeria, Japan, Mexico, Ecuador, Kenya, Peru, Uganda, and Russia. These countries join previously listed countries such as Thailand,…

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UK condemns Zamfara massacre, backs FG’s anti-kidnap initiative

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UK condemns

The United Kingdom (UK) government, on Tuesday, bemoaned the killing of 38 hostages by terrorists in Zamfara State despite payment of ₦50 million as ransom. Specifically, the UK government said such senseless killing by the terrorists retards economic progress of the country because it damages people’s mental and physical well-being. Recall that the 38 victims were murdered in cold blood on Sunday by bandits in Banga Town, Ƙauran-Namoda local government area of Zamfara State, after collecting ransom from their families. The kidnappers, led by a notorious bandit kingpin,  Ɗan Sadiya,…

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Mass deportation looms for Nigerians, as UK scraps skilled jobs

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UK mass deportation

Over 10,000 Nigerians working on Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), or Skilled Worker visas may be deported at the end of their agreement with their sponsors, following the United Kingdom government’s delisting of over 100 jobs, including skilled worker roles, from CoS eligibility. Feelers from London revealed that this new reform, which takes effect from July 22, 2025, is part of the UK’s efforts to control immigration and tighten the criteria for Skilled Worker visas. These changes involve increasing the skills requirement to RQF Level 6, which means only jobs at…

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Tinubu congratulates two British-Nigerians sworn-in as London Mayors

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Tinubu on London mayors

President Bola Tinubu yesterday felicitated two British-Nigerians, Opeyemi Bright and Jason Jackson, on their election and inauguration as Mayors in London, United Kingdom. The President commended Bright and Jackson for sustaining the legacy of good works by Nigerians in the diaspora and consistently promoting the values of honesty, integrity, hard work, and commitment to the well-being of others. Their stories, he said, would inspire countless young people – both at home and in the diaspora – to pursue excellence and serve their communities with distinction, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President’s…

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