The United States Royal Court in Jersey has ruled for the return of stolen assets worth £6.9m ($8.9m) to Nigeria.
These funds, allegedly diverted by Nigerian government officials in 2014 under the pretext of purchasing arms to combat Boko Haram, were deposited in a Jersey bank account.
The court found that the money was likely stolen by Nigerian government officials and was not used for the intended arms purchase.
The forfeiture notice to the court was initiated by Jersey’s Attorney General, Mark Temple KC, who stated that part of the funds was shared with family members of politicians in the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the 2015 general election.
Temple expressed the intention to negotiate an asset return agreement with the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
