The Royal Court in Jersey, a UK island, has seized approximately $9 million traced back to Nigerian government officials involved in corruption during the tenure of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.
The funds, originally intended for arms and aviation equipment to combat Boko Haram, were funneled through foreign bank accounts and shell companies, benefitting family members of the former ruling party in Nigeria. Jersey's Law Officers Department deemed the assets as tainted, leading to the initiation of a forfeiture notice by Attorney General Mark Temple in November 2023.
The Royal Court granted the application, marking another instance of Jersey recovering embezzled funds from Nigeria. Temple highlighted the collaboration between investigative units and emphasized the success in demonstrating that the funds belonged to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
This follows a similar case in 2020, where over $300 million linked to General Sani Abacha was repatriated from Jersey to Nigeria.
