Relatives of the former Nigerian oil minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, have confirmed that she had been apprehended in London, reported Gulf News.

She was detained, among five people, by the National Crime Agency (NCA) over alleged international corruption.

The arrests were “part of an investigation into suspected bribery and money-laundering offences”, the NCA said on its website.

No one was immediately available for comment at Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), although social media reports said the EFCC had sealed Alison-Madueke’s home in the Nigerian capital Abuja.

The arrest follows a separate US investigation, said the Wall Street Journal, adding that Diezani Alison-Madueke has been charged before with corruption while the country’s oil minister from 2010 to 2015.

The arrest took place on Friday and, under British law, her arrest doesn’t mean she will be charged.

The State Department declined to comment but sources revealed that it had been considering banning her from entering the US.