Ijaw women have called for fairness and due process in the ongoing fraud trial of former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, in the United Kingdom (UK).

Mrs. Alison-Madueke is currently facing trial for bribery and money laundering charges.

She has been under investigation since 2015. Some of the allegations brought against her involve over £100,000 in cash, luxury gifts, and property.

Speaking under the umbrella body of Ijaw Women Advocates for Justice, the group said it was neither defending nor condemning any individual but calling for a halt of premature judgment and the need to allow the principle of innocence until the court makes pronouncements.

Addressing reporters yesterday in Abuja, a former Federal Permanent Secretary, Dr. Timiebi Koripamo-Agary, stressed the need to observe judicial principles concerning the court case.

Koripamo-Agary noted that public trials of cases usually undermine justice itself.

She called for total restraint on the issue while the judicial process is still ongoing.

“Let it be clearly stated: We are not here to defend or condemn any individual.

“We are here to defend principle. The ongoing proceedings in the United Kingdom must remain exactly what they are: a judicial Process, not a public spectacle. We reject the growing tendency to try individuals in the court of public opinion while legal processes are still underway.

“That path undermines justice itself. Every individual, regardless of position, past office, or public perception, is entitled to: A fair hearing, Due process, and the presumption of innocence.

“These are not privileges. They are rights,” she added.

The ex-permanent secretary affirmed that the ljaw women stand in solidarity; “not to shield wrongdoing, but to insist that justice must be done properly, lawfully, and without prejudice.

“We caution against media sensationalism, selective narratives, and the weaponisation of public opinion. Justice must not be shaped by headlines.”

She said: “Justice is a process. Let the courts do their work. Let evidence speak where it belongs. And let no individual be condemned before judgment, nor absolved outside the law.”

Source: The Nation News