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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
A coalition of prominent Ijaw women leaders on Monday issued a measured call for due process in the ongoing UK judicial proceedings involving former Nigerian Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke, urging restraint from media sensationalism and public trials.
The group, known as Ijaw Women Advocates for Justice (JAW), addressing a press conference in Abuja emphasised vigilance over speculation, positioning their intervention as a defense of judicial principles rather than personal allegiance.
Speaking on behalf of the women Timiebi Koripamo-Agary, surrounded by Julie Donli, Rosemary John-Oduone, Dr. Stella Dorgu, and Duenize Ogon, said: “Let it be clearly stated: We are not here to defend or condemn any individual. We are here to defend principle,” they said. The coalition stressed that the UK case “must remain exactly what they are: a judicial process, not a public spectacle,” rejecting “the growing tendency to try individuals in the court of public opinion while legal processes are still underway.”
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The advocates highlight Alison-Madueke’s trailblazing career—from senior leadership at Shell to her ministerial role—without excusing potential wrongdoing. “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,” they assert.
As Ijaw women from the nation and diaspora, they stand “in solidarity; not to shield wrongdoing, but to insist that justice must be done properly, lawfully, and without prejudice.”
They caution against “media sensationalism, selective narratives, and the weaponisation of public opinion,” closing with a firm mantra: “Justice is not noise. Justice is not speculation. Justice is process.”
