The House of Representatives has referred to its Committee on Public Petitions the continued inclusion of the name of Nigerian businessman Mr. Benedict Peters by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in allegations related to unlawful ownership and acquisition of property in London, as well as financial dealings involving former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Allison-Madueke, despite his exoneration by Nigerian courts.
The referral followed a petition presented to the House by Ikenga Ugochinyere, Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), during plenary on Wednesday.
In his petition, Ugochinyere highlighted that various Nigerian court judgments have cleared Mr. Peters of any involvement in the former minister’s case. He urged urgent legislative action to safeguard judicial pronouncements and remove Peters from all pending fabricated allegations.
He described the disregard for Nigerian court rulings by UK authorities as disturbing, stressing the need to preserve the integrity of Nigeria’s judicial process, uphold judicial sovereignty, and forestall attempts to misuse the UK justice system against innocent Nigerian citizens.
Ugochinyere noted the necessity of swift legislative intervention under the Foreign Judgment (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act, 2004, stating, “Mr. Peters has been judicially vindicated and cleared of any allegation relating to unlawful ownership, acquisition, or dealings in connection with any alleged provision of financial reward to Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke in return for favors in the award of crude oil contracts.”
He referred to a letter dated July 18, 2025, by Mrs. E. C. Davies, Special Prosecutor, Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate – Regional and Wales Division, which sought to justify including Peters in Counts 2 and 3 of the indictment, claiming that Nigerian courts’ attempts to bind the CPS were “ultra vires” and “a breach of UK sovereign jurisdiction.”
Ugochinyere contrasted this with an earlier CPS letter dated May 7, 2025, acknowledging that Peters and his companies “should be removed from the restraint order.” He described the continued inclusion of Peters as “an unacceptable weaponization of the criminal justice system” and contrary to international standards of fairness.
The lawmaker called for an immediate amendment of the indictment under Section 5(1) of the Indictments Act of 1915 to remove Peters’ name, emphasizing that all allegations against him have been judicially resolved in his favor.
He stressed that judgments of Nigerian courts must be respected internationally, stating, “Orders and judgments of courts of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria are binding and effective. No government or authority, including the United Kingdom, has the power to disregard them except the Nigerian government. The judicial sovereignty of Nigeria, as enshrined in the Constitution, is not negotiable and must be respected worldwide.”
The Committee on Public Petitions is expected to report back to the House within four weeks. The inquiry will invite representatives from the British Crime Agency, CPS, EFCC, the Attorney General, and Mr. Benedict Peters or his representatives to testify.
