Nigeria is set to receive fresh over N13.3 billion ($9.5 million) looted by late General Sani Abacha, from Jersey.
Jersey is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, which means it is not part of the UK. It has its own laws, parliament, and financial system.The sum was recovered under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, but legal proceedings stalled the return to Nigeria.
Mark Temple, attorney-general of Jersey, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Nigeria in December to facilitate the return of the funds, which were held in a bank account on the island.The BBC reports that the agreement builds on two earlier arrangements between Jersey and Nigeria that led to the repatriation of over $300 million (£230 million) in recovered assets.
In a ruling delivered in January 2024, the Royal Court in Jersey held that the funds were “more likely than not” proceeds of corruption, finding that third-party contractors diverted public funds “for the benefit of senior Nigerian officials and their associates”.
Lateef Fagbemi, Nigeria’s attorney-general and minister of justice, said the recovered assets would be utilised strictly in line with the terms of the MoU.“The successful recovery and repatriation of the forfeited assets underscores the effectiveness of Nigeria’s collaborative efforts with its international partners in ensuring that there is no safe haven for illicitly acquired wealth or assets moved to foreign jurisdictions,” Fagbemi said.He added that the funds would be channelled towards the final stages of a major highway project that serves as a “vital link” between Abuja and Nigeria’s second-largest city.
Temple said the repatriation demonstrates the effectiveness of Jersey’s legal framework in tackling corruption
“The return demonstrates the strength of our civil forfeiture legislation as a powerful tool in the fight against corruption,” he said.What you should knowAbacha was Nigeria’s military leader from 1993 to 1998. Since his death, the country has recovered millions of dollars stashed abroad.During the General Abdulsalami Abubakar era in 1999, $750million was recovered, while $1.2 billion was recovered in 2002; $149 million was repatriated from Jersey Island, UK in 2003; $500 million was recovered in 2004 from Switzerland, and another $458 million was recovered in 2005 from Switzerland, all under former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration also saw the recovery of $1 billion in 2012 and $380 million in 201,5, respectively, both tranches from Switzerland.
Similarly, Liechtenstein and the United States repatriated $227 million and $48 million, respectively, in 2014 during Jonathan’s administration.In 2020, during the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, $311 million Abacha loot was repatriated to Nigeria from the United States and the Bailiwick of Jersey.The Buhari government also received N9.69bn ($23m) of looted funds from the US in August 2022.The government of Tinubu, in November 2023, recovered fresh N118.2bn ($150m) looted by late General Sani Abacha from France. In 2024, it also recovered about N3.9 billion (£2.1m) in corruption proceeds from the Bailiwick of Jersey.
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