Jersey to repatriate over $9.5m Abacha loot to Nigeria

The Bailiwick of Jersey is set to return more than $9.5 million, deemed to be part of the proceeds of corruption, seized from Nigeria’s former military leader, Sani Abacha, to the Nigerian government.

The money will be channelled towards a major infrastructure project in Nigeria.

A statement issued on Friday by the British High Commission disclosed that the money is being repatriated to Nigeria following the Jersey Memorandum of Understanding with the federal government.

Jersey’s Attorney General, Mark Temple KC, had signed the MOU in December 2025.

The MOU builds on two previous agreements between Jersey and Nigeria, under which more than $300 million has already been repatriated to support three major infrastructure projects: the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Second Niger Bridge, and the Abuja-Kano Road.

According to the statement, the two projects are now complete.

Under the terms of the MOU, the recently repatriated funds will contribute to the final stages of the Abuja-Kano Road, a 375 km highway that will provide a vital link between Nigeria’s capital and its second-largest city.

According to Mr Temple, the repatriation highlighted the effectiveness of Jersey’s civil forfeiture regime.

“This successful return demonstrates the strength of our civil forfeiture legislation as a powerful tool in the fight against corruption,” he said, thanking Nigerian authorities and Jersey’s Economic Crime and Confiscation Unit for their cooperation.

Also speaking on the development, Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, described the recovery as evidence of growing international collaboration against illicit financial flows.

“The successful recovery and repatriation of the forfeited assets underscores the effectiveness of Nigeria’s collaborative efforts with its international partners in ensuring that there is no safe haven for illicitly acquired wealth,” he said.

Mr Fagbemi added that the Nigerian government would ensure the funds were used in line with the terms of the memorandum of understanding.

The forfeiture followed an application made on 29 November 2023 under the Forfeiture of Assets (Civil Proceedings) (Jersey) Law 2018.

The island’s Civil Asset Recovery Fund earlier stated that the total loot, which is over $300 million and linked to the Sani Abacha era, was washed through the US financial system in the 1990s before ending up in Jersey.

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The money, held in a Jersey bank account controlled by the shell company Doraville, was seized in June 2019.

Under the terms of the repatriation agreement, Jersey will keep $5m, with the US entitled to retain an equivalent amount, the States of Jersey said.

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been returned to Nigeria as part of funds looted by the former Nigerian dictator, Sani Abacha, who died in office in 1998, and his cronies. The monies were stashed in different foreign banks, mainly in Europe and the US.