US Opposes Buhari Govt Alleged Plan To Give Atiku $100m

Following the agreement between the U.S. and Nigeria on the repatriation of over $308million to the African nation.

The alleged plan by the federal government to give $100 million out the recovered Sani Abacha loot to Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, is been opposed by the United States.

Further more, the U.S. is also asking Nigerians to help recover alleged stolen finds traced to Bagudu, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors Forum.

According to reports, there has been commitment by Nigeria to transfer the funds to the governor, whom the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) says was involved in corruption with Abacha.

The U.S. Department of Justice believes Nigeria is blocking U.S. efforts to recover allegedly laundered money traced to Bagudu.

In a statement on February 3, the department disclosed that Bagudu was part of Abacha network that “embezzled, misappropriated and extorted billions from the government of Nigeria.”

But the Buhari administration allegedly insisted that an existing 17-year-old agreement entitles Bagudu to a fraction of the repatriated funds.

This argument was contained in recent filings from the District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington.

It recalled that in 2013, the U.S., following a Nigerian government request in 2012, initiated a forfeiture action, including four investment portfolios held in London in trust for Bagudu and his family.

The Buhari government now says it cannot assist because it is legally bound by a settlement Bagudu reached with the Olusegun Obasanjo administration in 2003, according to the court filings.

Under the terms approved by a U.K. court, Bagudu returned $163 million of alleged laundered money to th Nigerian government, which then dropped all outstanding civil and criminal claims against him.