A Royal Court in Jersey, United States, has reportedly ruled that stolen assets worth £6.9m ($8.9m) be repatriated to Nigeria.
The assets, allegedly diverted by Nigerian government officials in 2014 under the pretext of purchasing arms to fight Boko Haram terrorists, were found in a Jersey bank account.
The court concluded that the money was likely stolen by officials in the Nigerian Government during 2014. Controversies surrounded the arms purchase for the fight against insurgency, with accusations against the then National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, for diverting funds intended for security equipment during Jonathan’s administration, particularly in connection to the Boko Haram conflict.
In late 2014, a private jet was apprehended in South Africa carrying $10m in cash, purportedly intended for the acquisition of military weapons.
Subsequently, the Royal Court in Jersey issued a ruling to repatriate stolen assets worth £6.9m ($8.9m) to Nigeria. This decision followed a forfeiture notice submitted to the court by Jersey’s Attorney General, Mark Temple KC.
Mark Temple, the Attorney General of Jersey, asserted that the Government of Jersey was closely collaborating with Nigeria in the repatriation process of the funds.
Temple claimed that a portion of the funds had been distributed to family members of politicians within the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party in anticipation of the 2015 general election.
“This case again demonstrates the effectiveness of the 2018 Forfeiture Law in recovering the proceeds of corruption and restoring that money to victims of crime.
“I now intend to negotiate an asset return agreement with the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.