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No plans to pay Bagudu $100m from Abacha loot – Malami

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Nigeria’s federal government has denied entering into any agreement to pay the Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Bagudu, or any other third party $100 million from funds recovered from the family of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), stated this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

Malami said agreements for the recoveries and the procedure for recoveries were always presented to the Federal Executive Council for approval and duly made public once the processes had been concluded. He, however, noted that the claims by Bagudu would be decided soon in court, even as he insisted that the federal government did not strike any deal with him or anyone.

In a related development, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMLF) has told President Muhammadu Buhari to stop insulting Nigerians with a false anti-corruption war. SMLF called for a thorough investigation of the allegation that the federal government planned to pay Bagudu $100million from the Abacha loot.

Similarly, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) called on the National Assembly to undertake a forensic probe of all funds repatriated by the Buhari administration in view of the latest developments regarding the Abacha loot.

But Malami maintained that the claim by Bagudu was not true.

In the statement issued by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, Malami said Nigeria remained committed to working with the United States and other countries to recover the country’s assets stashed abroad.

The statement said, “It is pertinent to recall at this juncture that prior to the 2020 agreement with the United States and Island of Jersey, the federal government has signed an agreement for the return of over $300 million in 2017, which was effectively deployed for the purpose for which it was agreed to be applied without any issue of reputation

“The FGN is also negotiating the recovery of assets from several countries and the agreements for the recoveries and the procedure for recoveries are always presented to Federal Executive Council for approval and duly made public once the processes have been concluded. No third-party interest was captured in the Council memo that was approved by the Council.”

READ: US opposes plan by Buhari’s Govt to give $100m Abacha loot to Kebbi Gov, Bagudu

The minister said Nigeria was cooperating with the United States in the recovery of several other assets, including corruption proceeds linked to a former petroleum minister, Deziani Alison-Madueke, and her associates, as well as a former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, and several others.

Malami reiterated the determination of the Buhari administration to recover all funds owed the country. He said it was for this reason that the government went to court in different countries to assert its rights as victim of corruption in order to secure the return of the assets to Nigeria.

“In the same manner that Nigeria is asserting its rights to the assets, there are others, including individuals, entities and countries, who have rights and who have gone to court to contest the legality or otherwise of Nigeria’s claims against their assets,” Malami stated.

He added: “It is well known that the USA and the Bagudu family have been in court since 2014 over assets already rescinded under the 2003 Agreement. The matters are to be determined in the United Kingdom and the United States Courts.

“The Bagudu family assets in contention, which constitute a distinct and separate cause of action, does not have anything to do with the assets already recovered and being recovered under the Abacha 2014 non-prosecution agreement.

“It is, therefore, mischievous and pedestrian for anyone to seek to turn the law and the facts on its head on the matter of repatriation, whose terms are clearly spelt out and agreed among the parties.”

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