ANEEJ Urge FG, UK to Return £4.2m Recovered Ibori Assets to Delta State

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……Calls for disclosure of seized, returned amount

By Lucky Isibor.

Asset Recovery and Management  Watchdog, the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) has called on the United Kingdom and Nigerian Governments  to review the recently  signed annex to the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on £4.2million Chief James Onanefe  Ibori  assets  for its return to Delta State, just as it called on the United Kingdom and Federal Government to openly disclose how much was seized from the former Delta State Governor and how much was returned to Nigeria.


Executive Director of ANEEJ and head of Transparency and Accountability in Management of Returned Assets, (MANTRA) project, Rev David Ugolor who briefed news men after a marathon hybrid meeting of the group in Benin City on Tuesday wondered why returned asset of people of Delta State is to be used to  finance Federal infrastructural projects viz: The Second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kano Road and the Lagos-Ibadan road as announced  by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) at the MoU Annex signing ceremony in Abuja. 

“We are alarmed at the annex of an MoU signed between our Federal Government and the UK government on returned  £4.2million   former Delta State Governor’s assets. Their action  is in obvious  breach of the Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR) and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) principles as well as  the Federal Government Gazette on Asset Tracing, Recovery and Management (2019).

“I call on both governments to take a second look at the annex of the  MoU signed today and deliver justice to the poor people of Delta State who should receive such returned asset and not the Federal Government as stated in the executed MoU,” Ugolor and the CSOs demanded 

Ugolor pointed out that the vexatious “MoU is in clear  contradiction of  Section B, Sub-section 6 of the  Asset Tracing, Recovery, and Management Regulations, Gazette of the Federal Government of Nigeria (2019) which  states: “ Where the funds belongs to other tiers of government, the Honourable Minister responsible with the office of the Minister of Finance shall within 45 days of being informed of funds in the Central Bank of Nigeria cause the proceeds to be transferred to the relevant tier of government.”  

The anti-graft campaigners further noted that there was already a precedence in Plateau state of Nigeria, where looted assets of former Governor Joshua Dariye was returned to Plateau State for the victims of corruption in that state. “Why should the returned Ibori assets be confiscated by the Federal Government for the federal government?” Ugolor queried.

“Whereas the British High Commissioner, Catriona Laing disclosed at the MoU Annex signing ceremony that £ 4.2 million was returned, we demand to know the exact amount seized from Ibori and his associates in the UK and our  government in the spirit of transparency and accountability should disclose to the public how much it received from the UK government,” the group demanded.  

Ugolor called on the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) to immediately intervene and ensure a reversal of the controversial MoU to ensure that justice is served the real victims of corruption---in this case, the people of Delta State.

“With all due respect to my friend and Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), this annex to the 2016 MoU on returned Ibori assets should be urgently reviewed, as I am sure he understands our position on this matter, ”Ugolor stated. 



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