By Ade Johnson-
The United States will return $23 million to Nigeria stolen by former military ruler Sani Abacha, officials said at an event to sign the agreement on Tuesday.
Nigeria has reached several agreements to return stolen cash in recent years. Abacha ruled Africa’s most populous nation and top oil exporter from 1993 until his death in 1998, during which time Transparency International estimated that he took up to $5 billion of public money.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, represented the federal government where the agreement was signed at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja on Tuesday.
Mary Leonard, U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, signed the agreement on behalf of her country.
She said $23 million adds to the $311.7 million Abacha loot repatriated from the U.S. to Nigeria in 2020.
Mr Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the decision to return the fresh tranche totalling $23,439,724, which he termed ‘Abacha-5’, was a product of series of tripartite negotiations between Nigeria, the U.S. Department of Justice and the UK National Crime Agency, NCA.
US Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard said the cash was in UK accounts but was identified and frozen by US officials, adding that in addition to the latest deal, the United States had agreed to repatriate more than $334.7 million linked to Abacha.
Attorney General Abubakar Malami said the funds would be used for infrastructure projects, including the Abuja-Kano road, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and the second Niger bridge under the supervision of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).
“The president’s mandate to my office is to ensure that all international recoveries are transparently invested and monitored by civil society organizations to compete for these three projects within the agreed timeline,” Malami said.
The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation seized these funds in response to General Abacha and his associates’ violation of US laws when they laundered these assets through the US and into accounts in the United Kingdom.
“These actions were flagrant breach of the Nigerian people’s trust, but today is the result of an extensive and high-level corporation between the U.S., the UK and the Federal Republic of Nigeria to make the Nigerian people whole.
“This agreement is also a kind of collaboration that our government must continue in order to right the wrongs committed under the previous regimes, combined with a $311.7m seized and repatriated with the assistance of the Bailiwick of Jersey and the government of Nigeria in 2020.
“This repatriation brings to the total amount of funds repatriated in this case by the US to more than $334.7m.
“As a result of today’s agreement, $23m will be transferred to the Nigerian Government, which through the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) will use the funds to continue the construction of three key infrastructural projects located in strategic economic zones throughout the country- the 2nd Niger Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Abuja-Kano Road.
“In other words, these recovered criminal proceeds, like the $311.7m previously seized and repatriated, will be transformed into visible and impactful representation of the possibilities of government assets that directly improve the lives of average Nigerians.
“The U. S. government is keenly aware of the devastating impact corruption has on societies. Corruption erodes trust and the ability of governments to deliver to their citizens.
“It distorts the economies and access to key services. It hinders development, pushes citizens towards extremism and makes countries and their officials susceptible to malicious foreign interference.
“It is in recognition of the role corruption plays in undermining democracy that the US considers the fight against corruption as a core national security interest.
“U.S. law enforcement will continue to deny safe-heavens for corrupt actors and their assets.
“Our agreement today also serves to reaffirm the important role Nigerian Civil Society plays in combating corruption.
“Among other things, it provides for both independent auditor as well as independent CSO monitor within Nigeria to track the expenditure of these recovered funds.
“As a partner, deeply interested in Nigeria’s success, we will continue to do our part to facilitate the recovery and return of the proceeds of corrupt
U.S Ambassador to Nigeria: Mary Leonard Image:Nigernews.com
Agreed Projects
The US Justice Department has previously said that Nigeria must use money repatriated from funds looted by Abacha on agreed public projects or be forced to “replace” it.
In the past, Nigeria had secured the release of millions of dollars stashed in foreign accounts by the former dictator.
In 2017, the Swiss government released a statement announcing it had reached an agreement with Nigerian authorities and the World Bank on the return of $321 million to the West African country.
The released funds “will strengthen social security for the poorest sections of the Nigerian population,” the statement said at the time.
In 2019, authorities in Jersey said they had seized more than $267 million from Abacha’s family and associates. The laundered funds recovered from confiscated assets, belonging to the son of the late dictator, Mohammed Abacha, were found in a Channel Islands account held by a shell company.
The stolen funds were recovered and paid into a special recovery fund after a five-year legal battle and were agreed to be shared between the Nigerian government, Jersey, and the US government.