FG has no records of how recovered $5bn Abacha loot was spent - AGF Malami

Sunday, March 15, 2020 at 11:12 AM by Akinyemi Akinrujomu

- The current federal government administration has said it cannot provide details of how the Abacha loot recovered between 1999 and 2015 when it took over was spent

- AGF Malami said the FG currently has no record in its possession of how the returned funds were used

- The minister of justice, however, explained how the funds recovered in 2018 and the one currently expected from the Island of Jersey would be used

- SERAP is not pleased with the explanation of the federal government and remains concerned that parts of the $5bn dollars may have been diverted

The federal government has said that it cannot account for how the recovered loot of former Nigerian military dictator, General Sani Abacha, was spent between 1999 and 2015.

Premium Times reports that the government made this disclosure through the minister for justice and attorney-general of the federation, Abubakar Malami.

AGF Malami's words were in reaction to a Free of Information request submitted to his office by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), demanding to know the way recovered Abacha loot was being used.

Read also

EFCC records huge success, returns N263m looted funds across 16 LGAs to Kwara government (photo)

SERAP had made FOI requests to Malami's office as well as that of the minister of finance, budget and national planning, Zainab Ahmed.

FG has no records of how recovered $5bn Abacha loot was spent - AGF Malami — Minister of justice Malami says the current administration has no record of the Abacha loot spent before it came to power.
Source: UGC

But it was only Malami who replied at press time, saying the current administration “has no records of the exact amount of public funds stolen by a former military head of state, Sani Abacha and no records of the spending of about $5 billion recovered loot for the period between 1999 and 2015.”

Vanguard reports that Malami confirmed that $322 million recovered from Switzerland in 2018 was used for Social Investment Project while $308 million recovered from the Island of Jersey in collaboration with the USA will be used for the following projects: Lagos—Ibadan Expressway; Abuja—Kano Expressway, and Second Niger Bridge when transferred to Nigeria.

SERAP is not pleased with the government's explanation. The rights group believes a huge part of the $5bn recovered in the years it mentioned had been diverted.