US to repatriate $52M in seized corruption funds to Nigeria News
ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
US to repatriate $52M in seized corruption funds to Nigeria

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday an agreement to repatriate approximately $52.88 million in forfeited assets to Nigeria. The assets are linked to a corruption case involving former Nigerian Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and her associates.

Under the agreement, $50 million of the repatriated funds will be dedicated to the Distributed Access Through Renewable Energy Scale-Up (DARES) project. The initiative, managed by the Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency and supported by the International Development Association, aims to expand access to renewable energy across Nigeria, with a focus on public institutions. The remaining $2.88 million will support Nigeria’s contribution to the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ).

To ensure transparency, the $50 million allocated for electrification will be managed through a World Bank trust fund, subject to rigorous oversight, auditing, and public reporting. The IIJ projects will also be subject to external auditing and regular progress updates to maintain accountability.

The agreement was signed in Abuja, Nigeria, by US Ambassador Richard M. Mills Jr and Nigerian Attorney General Lateef O. Fagbemi. Both governments expressed their shared commitment to responsible governance, emphasizing that the recovered funds will directly benefit the Nigerian people.

The funds were seized under the US Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, which uncovered a conspiracy run by Nigerian businessmen who paid bribes to Alison-Madueke. In return, the former minister “used her influence to steer lucrative oil contracts” in favor of companies owned by the businessmen. The investigation found that proceeds from the bribery and money laundering had been used to acquire luxury assets, including a superyacht and prime real estate in California and New York.

Nigerian authorities were instrumental in supporting the US investigation, leading to the effective recovery of these assets. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent S. Wible said: “This agreement recognizes the excellent law enforcement collaboration between the United States and Nigeria and Nigeria’s vital assistance that contributed to the successful forfeiture of millions of dollars of corruption proceeds.”

FBI Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough reaffirmed the agency’s dedication to fighting corruption, stating: “By ensuring these forfeited funds are repatriated to Nigeria to benefit the Nigerian people through critical projects and counterterrorism efforts, the FBI reaffirms our dedication to promoting transparency and dismantling the systems that enable corruption to thrive.”

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