Abacha loot: Jersey to return over $9.5m to Nigeria

Dollar bills

The Bailiwick of Jersey has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government of Nigeria to return more than $9.5 million identified as proceeds of corruption from the Abacha loot, with the repatriated funds earmarked to support a major infrastructure project.

His Majesty’s Attorney General for Jersey, Mark Temple KC, signed the MoU in December 2025, paving the way for the return of the funds to Nigeria.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the British High Commission, through Stephen Odekunle, where it added that the agreement was formally confirmed in Abuja on Friday, January 9, 2026.

The funds were forfeited following a decision of the Royal Court of Jersey on January 12, 2024.

The court ruled that the money held in a Jersey bank account was “more likely than not” the proceeds of a corrupt scheme in which third-party contractors diverted government funds for the benefit of senior Nigerian officials and their associates.

The application for forfeiture was brought under the Forfeiture of Assets (Civil Proceedings) (Jersey) Law 2018.

Temple said the recovery highlights the effectiveness of Jersey’s anti-corruption framework and cooperation with Nigeria. Punch