U.S. govt agrees to return $23m Abacha loot to Nigeria

Nigeria and the United States government have reached an agreement on the return of over $23 million looted by late military dictator, Sani Abacha.

This followed the signing of an agreement by the governments on Tuesday.

The agreement was signed at the office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, on Tuesday.

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Malami signed on behalf of the Nigerian government, while the U.S Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, signed on the behalf of the United States government.

The AGF said the fund, when returned, would be invested in three ongoing projects by the Federal Government, including the ongoing Abuja-Kaduna road and the 2nd Niger Bridge.

Abacha ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998, a period during which he stole up to $5 billion of public money, according to Transparency International.

The late military dictator was never charged.

The Star