Women under the aegis of Ijaw Women Advocate for Justice (IWAJ) yesterday demanded a fair hearing, due process and justice in the ongoing trial of former Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke at Southwark Crown Court in London.

Addressing a news conference in Abuja, the women insisted the court proceedings in the UK must remain exactly what they are: a judicial process, not a public spectacle.

Former Ministry of Labour and Productivity Permanent Secretary Timiebi Koripamo-Agary said they had rejected what she described as the growing tendency to try individuals in the court of public opinion while legal processes are still underway.

She said: “As Ijaw women, we stand in solidarity; not to shield wrongdoing, but to insist that justice must be done properly, lawfully, and without prejudice.”

Alison-Madueke is facing five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, related to oil and gas contracts from her time as petroleum minister between 2010-2015.