Nigeria, Jersey seal deal to repatriate $9.5m looted funds

By : Joel Oladele

Date: 9 January 2026 10:20pm WAT

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Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi

Nigeria and the Bailiwick of Jersey have agreed to return more than $9.5 million traced to the proceeds of corruption to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The agreement is contained in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in December 2025 by His Majesty’s Attorney General for Jersey, Mark Temple KC, to allow the funds to be sent back to Nigeria for use on key infrastructure projects.

Information revealed that the money was forfeited after the Jersey Attorney General approached the Royal Court of Jersey on 29 November 2023 under the Forfeiture of Assets (Civil Proceedings) (Jersey) Law 2018.

On 12 January 2024, the court ordered the forfeiture after finding that the funds were “more likely than not the proceeds of a corrupt scheme” in which government funds from Nigeria were diverted by contractors for the benefit of senior officials and their associates.

The MoU follows earlier agreements between Nigeria and Jersey, which led to the return of over $300 million to Nigeria. The funds were used for major projects such as the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Second Niger Bridge, and the Abuja-Kano Road.

While the first two projects have been completed, the newly returned funds will be used for the final stages of the 375-kilometre Abuja–Kano Road, a major route linking Abuja and Kano.

Speaking on the development, Mark Temple KC said: “This successful return demonstrates the strength of our civil forfeiture legislation as a powerful tool in the fight against corruption. I thank the Nigerian authorities for their cooperation and the Economic Crime and Confiscation Unit in my Department for their unwavering commitment to recover the proceeds of crime.”

Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, said the recovery showed the value of working with international partners.

According to him, “The successful recovery and repatriation of the forfeited assets ensures that there is no safe haven for illicitly acquired wealth or assets moved to foreign jurisdictions.”

Fagbemi therefore thanked the government of Jersey for its support. He assured that the funds would be used properly.

“I want to, on behalf of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, thank the Bailiwick of Jersey for the cooperation accorded Nigeria during the recovery exercise.

“The repatriated assets will be judiciously utilized in line with the terms of the executed Memorandum of Understanding,” Fagbemi noted.

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