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Abacha Loot: Court Opens Speaks

Recent judgment ordering disclosure of spending details of about $5 billion Sani Abacha loot by the governments of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan, and Muhammadu Buhari, may have left the Federal Government in a quandary. Business Hallmark reports.

It has not be the tradition since 1999 for presidents to investigate or probe their predecessors. But the court judgment leaves the government with little options.


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The government may choose to obey the court order and go through the rigorous process of gathering the documents that will provide information about the required details; or it may also toe the line of disregarding the order and acquire the infamy of failing the test of rule of law.Information Guide Nigeria

Whichever way the government chooses to go, the development is bound to go down in history as another boost to the profile of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), as civil society organsation with unwavering commitment to holding public office holders accountable in the management and utilization of public funds.

SERAP had approached the court in 2020 to compel the government of the then President Muhammadu Buhari to fully grant its requests of providing details of the spending of the recovered Abacha loot.

The then Federal Government had told SERAP that it had no records of the exact amount of public funds stolen by Abacha and no records of the spending of about $5 billion recovered loot for the period between 1999 and 2015.JAMB Result

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The government’s response followed SERAP’s Freedom of Information (FoI) requests sent to Abukabar Malami, the then Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and Zainab Ahmed, the then Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, requesting: “information on the exact amount of public funds stolen by Abacha, and details of spending of about $5 billion recovered loot since the return of democracy in 1999.”

According to SERAP at the time, only Mr. Malami had sent a reply to its FoI requests. In the reply dated February 26, (2020) but, which, SERAP said it received March 9, (2020) Mr Malami said: “We have searched our records and the information on the exact amount of public funds stolen by Abacha and how recovered loot was spent from 1999–2015 is not held by the Ministry.”

Malami also said: “However, a total of $322 million was recovered from Switzerland in January 2018 and the funds were used for Social Investment Project. Also, $308 million was recovered from the Island of Jersey in collaboration with the USA. While awaiting the transfer of the money to Nigeria, it has been designated for the following projects: Lagos—Ibadan Expressway; Abuja—Kano Expressway, and Second Niger Bridge.”

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Not satisfied with Malami’s reply, SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare said: “The failure to provide information on the exact amount stolen by Abacha and on spending of recovered loot for the period between 1999 and 2015 implicitly amounts to a refusal by the government. The government also failed to provide sufficient details on the spending and planned spending of the $630 million it said it recovered since 2018.”

In the statement dated March 15 (2020), SERAP said: “In the circumstances and given that Mrs. Zainab Ahmed has failed and/or refused to respond to our FoI request, we are finalising the papers for legal actions under the FoI Act to compel the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to fully and effectively comply with our requests.

SERAP had in the FoI requests expressed: “concerns that substantial part of the estimated $5 billion returned Abacha loot since 1999 may have been diverted, re-stolen or mismanaged, and in any case remain unaccounted for.”

The FoI requests dated February 14 (2020), read in part: “the Federal Government should disclose details of projects executed with the Abacha loot and their locations, details of companies and contractors involved in the execution of any such projects, details of all the agreements on the loot, the roles played by the World Bank and other actors, as well as the implementation status of all projects since 1999.”

“Publishing the details of projects on which Abacha loot has been spent would allow the public to know the specific projects carried out and the areas of the country in which the projects have been implemented as well as the officials that may be responsible for any alleged diversion or mismanagement of the loot.”NYSC Portal

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Goodnews

Essien, Goodnews is a gruaduate of Communication Arts, University of Uyo, Uyo; Currently working at Infoguide Media as a news writer.

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