The funds, held in a Jersey bank account, were ordered forfeited after the Royal Court of Jersey found in January 2024 that they originated from a corrupt scheme in which third-party contractors diverted Nigerian government funds for the benefit of senior officials and their associates.
The repatriation was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in December by Mark Temple KC, His Majesty’s Attorney General for Jersey. The agreement builds on two earlier Jersey–Nigeria arrangements that have already resulted in the return of more than $300 million (£230 million) in illicit assets.
Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, said the funds would be deployed strictly in line with the MOU. He described the recovery as evidence of Nigeria’s growing cooperation with international partners to ensure that “there is no safe haven for illicitly acquired wealth moved to foreign jurisdictions.”
Infrastructure Use: Abuja–Kaduna Highway
According to the agreement, the repatriated money will be applied to the final stages of a strategic stretch of highway linking Nigeria’s capital to its second-largest city—commonly referenced as the Abuja–Kaduna Highway. The road is considered a vital economic and security corridor, supporting trade flows, commuter traffic, and regional integration in northern Nigeria.
Jersey’s Civil Forfeiture Framework
Temple said the case demonstrated the effectiveness of Jersey’s civil forfeiture regime as a tool against corruption, emphasising that the island’s legislation allows authorities to pursue assets without requiring a criminal conviction where the balance of probabilities shows illicit origin.
For Nigeria, the recovery adds to a series of recent international asset returns aimed at converting stolen wealth into tangible public benefits. For Jersey, it reinforces its stated position that its financial system will not shelter proceeds of corruption.
