£4.2 Million Ibori Loots: ANEEJ Calls For Review Of MoU
…Says Stolen Funds Should Be Handed over To Delta State
-Iduozee Efe Paul, Benin
The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice {ANEEJ}, has called on the governments of the United Kingdom (UK) and the Federal Government to review the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU in respect of returned loot, and ensure the returned £4.2 million fund recovered from the former Delta State governor, James Onanefe Ibori is handed over to Delta State where the money was looted from.
Making the call at a press conference in Benin City, the executive director of the non-governmental organization, David Ugolor, said the United Kingdom and the federal government should explain publicly the real amount seized from the former Delta State governor and the actual amount returned to Nigeria and wondered why the returned loot should go to the federal government.
“ANEEJ wondered why the money stolen from Delta state will be given to Federal Government.”
David Ugolor, who is also the head of Transparency and Accountability in Management of Returned Assets (MANTRA), warned against using Delta State people’s money to finance federal government infrastructural projects.
He named the infrastructure projects as, the Second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kano Road and the Lagos-Ibadan road as announced by the attorney-general of the federation and minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami 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 loot from 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’s (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 stated.
According to him, the 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 that:
“Where the funds belong to other tiers of government, the Hon 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”.
Ugolor also called for disclosure of the total sum seized by the UK government and how returned.
“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,” Ugolor demanded.
He said there was already a precedent in Plateau State where assets looted by the 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.
