Emeka Nweze
The figures keep increasing, and the money keeps on rolling in. The well of funds looted by former military dictator, General Sani Abacha doesn’t seem to dry up as more funds are being unearthed every other year.
With the discovery of fresh funds, some Nigerians have taken it as a blessing in disguise. As hilarious as it sounds, Abacha is sending us money from heaven at a time when we need it, and people are pleased. So we have curated all the times Abacha loot was discovered in some bank somewhere. Enjoy, share.
July 1999 -President Olusegun Obasanjo discovered and froze $420 million in assets
May 2002 – President Olusegun Obasanjo made a deal with the Abacha family for the recovery of $1.2 billion.
November 2003 – Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala claimed that $149 million Abacha loot from Jersey Island had been recovered.
September 2005 -It was stated by finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala that Switzerland had returned $458 million in cash and $2 billion in assets.
March 2014 – Switzerland repatriated $380 million of Abacha funds.
June 2014 – Liechtenstein returned $227 million of Abacha’s loot
August 2014 – United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that the largest amount of money ever returned in the organisations history was $480 million which they intended to return to the Nigerian government
2016 – Switzerland confirmed that they had returned $723 million so far to the Nigerian government from Abacha loot.
December 2017 – Switzerland also promised to release $322 million dollars more of the Abacha loot
May 2019 – £211 million found in a bank in Jersey, United States.
January 2020 – The latest discovery is a fresh $321 million in a bank in Jersey. On January 29, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the signing of an agreement with the Island of Jersey and the United States of America for the repatriation of the stolen assets.
May 4 2020 – In a statement from the Attorney General of Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, it was disclosed that approximately $311,797,866.11 of the Abacha loot was repatriated from the US and Jersey.
August 14 2020 – Ireland signed a memorandum of understanding with the federal government to return €5.5 million looted by Sani Abacha.
Is your mind blown? Well, remember a member of the Abacha family was rumored to have said “no matter how much money they (the FG) discovers, we still cannot be as poor as Dangote”. Let’s be watching as the sugar daddy sends us more money in the future.
