Diezani Alison-Madueke says UK destroyed her reputation after 13-year case

Diezani Alison-Madueke don finally speak after she was found not guilty at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday. She tell BBC say the UK National Crime Agency destroyed her reputation and integrity for 13 years of investigation that ended in nothing. She say she could not travel, could not work, and the whole thing was painful and traumatic.

The woman wey be Nigeria's first female petroleum minister and first female Opec president say she knew she never did anything nefarious. The NCA accused her of receiving bribes including £2m worth of Harrods goods, chauffeur cars, and multi-million pound properties. But her lawyers say vital documents that would prove her innocence — boxes of receipts showing oil tycoons reimbursed her — were taken by Nigerian intelligence forces from her Abuja home in 2015 and nobody knows where they dey now.

She say the NCA went after her because she was low-hanging fruit in a politically motivated case. Former President Goodluck Jonathan even wrote to court to say third parties would pay for ministers' transport on overseas business. Now after 13 years of her life wasted, she say the blame is everywhere — on Nigerian authorities and the UK. 13 years of her freedom gone. Who go pay for that one?