Godsent Ogbebor
UK Repatriates $9.5m Seized Funds to Nigeria
The United Kingdom has finalised arrangements to return over $9.5 million in seized funds to Nigeria, following a court ruling in Jersey that linked the money to corruption-related activities.
The repatriation is anchored on a Memorandum of Understanding signed in December 2025 by His Majesty’s Attorney General for Jersey, Mark Temple KC, according to a statement released by the UK government on Friday.
The funds were forfeited after the Attorney General applied to the Royal Court of Jersey in November 2023 for the seizure of assets held in a Jersey bank account.
Meanwhile, in January 2024, the court ruled that the money was more likely than not proceeds of a corrupt scheme involving the diversion of Nigerian government funds by contractors for the benefit of senior officials and their associates.
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The latest agreement builds on earlier cooperation between Jersey and Nigeria, which has already seen more than $300 million returned and channelled into major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Second Niger Bridge and the Abuja-Kano Road.
While the first two projects have been completed, the newly recovered funds will be used to support the final stages of the Abuja–Kano Road, a key route linking the nation’s capital to Kano.
Temple said the recovery highlighted the effectiveness of civil forfeiture laws in tackling corruption and praised Nigerian authorities for their cooperation throughout the process.
Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), described the repatriation as a reflection of strong international collaboration against illicit financial flows, assuring that the funds would be applied strictly in line with the terms of the agreement.
