It has been announced that a Royal Court in Jersey, United States, has decided to return £6.9 million ($8.9 million) in pilfered assets to Nigeria.
Under the pretense of buying weapons to combat Boko Haram terrorists, Nigerian government officials are accused of misappropriating the aforementioned assets in 2014.
The BBC reports that the court determined that the funds, which were placed in a Jersey bank account, were probably taken in 2014 by Nigerian government employees.
During Jonathan’s administration, there had been controversy surrounding the acquisition of weaponry in the war against insurgency. Sambo Dasuki, the National Security Advisor at the time, had been accused of misappropriating monies intended for security equipment.
Additionally, in late 2014, a private jet carrying $10 million in cash purportedly intended for the purchase of military hardware was apprehended in South Africa.
However, Jersey’s Attorney General, Mark Temple KC, sent a forfeiture notice to the court, which was followed by the Royal Court’s order.
The money wasn’t utilized for the purchase of the weapons, the court said; instead, it was deposited in a Jersey bank account.
Temple stated that the Jerseyan government and Nigeria were working closely together to repatriate the assets.
Prior to the 2015 general election, the AG stated that a portion of the monies were distributed to the families of officials in the Peoples Democratic Party, which was in power at the time.
“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.