The United States of America has returned $52.88 million in recovered assets linked to a former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to the Nigerian Government.
Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, said during the formal signing ceremony of the asset agreement between Nigeria and the United States in Abuja that $50 million of the recovered assets would be deployed through the World Bank for the development of rural electrification projects, while the remaining $2 million would be used by the International Institute of Justice to expand the justice system and combat corruption.
Fagbemi also stated that the asset return marks a milestone in the ongoing collaboration between Nigeria and the United States of America to combat corruption and uphold the rule of law.
The Nigerian minister described the event as a significant step by President Bola Tinubu in addressing corruption.
In his remarks at the event, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, called for effective monitoring and utilisation of the recovered assets by the Ministry of Justice to ensure that Nigerians benefit from the recovered money.
GIK/APA.