UK returns £70m stolen from Nigeria, refuses to mention culprits

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arkwright, on Monday revealed that the United Kingdom recently repatriated about £70 million loot to Nigeria.

Arkwright, who made this known to newsmen in Abuja said that the fund was recovered from a Nigerian convicted in an Italian court. He however refused to give out the name of the culprit.

He said, “There was an Italian court case with a particular person involved. A portion of the fund has been in the UK and that was the portion that was returned recently from the UK to Nigeria. So, it’s in that context that the £70 million was returned.”

He assured that more funds would be repatriated because the UK has no plans to keep any kobo stolen from Nigeria into the country.

“The British government has no intention of keeping one kobo of Nigerian funds in the UK, it all must come back to Nigeria. Just as in Nigeria, the UK feels that the judicial process is important, and we have to go through those processes before the money can be returned,” he said.

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On the British Prime Minister Theresa May’s visit to President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, Arkwright hinted that what will dominate the discussion of the leaders will centre majorly on security, trade, investment and 2019 general elections.

 

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