The £4.2 million seized from the associates of convicted former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori is expected to be returned to the country any moment from mow, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) has said.
The United Kingdom (UK) government had, on March 9, 2021, promised to return the looted funds to the Federal Government within two weeks.
But, Malami said in a statement on Monday by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr Umar Gwandu, that the delay in the return of the fund was due to some necessary documentation.
The Federal Government, he said is working tirelessly to ensure the return of looted Nigerian assets kept outside the country’s territorial boundaries.
He said the AGF Office and other relevant government agencies will keep the general public informed once the Ibori loot are received and confirmed.
The statement said the Federal Government is in touch with the government of the United Kingdom on the matter.
“Documentations with the banks in different countries often take longer than anticipated. We anticipated two weeks but we are not in control of the banks,” the statement said.
Malami maintained that the Federal Government is working assiduously to make sure that the transfer goes through successfully and added that, “There is neither complacency nor any delay as efforts are being made to ensure successful transfer of the looted funds.
The AGF, while signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UK government in March said the £4.2 million will be deployed towards the timely completion of the Second Niger Bridge, Abuja – Kano expressway and the Lagos – Ibadan expressway.
The Federal Government, he said have established a reputation of transparency and accountability of utilization of recovered assets as a nation and that the £4.2 million Ibori loot will not be different in terms of application.