SERAP, FG Disagree Over $5bn Abacha Loot Spending

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has described the response of the Federal Government to its request on records of spending and exact amount of public funds stolen by the former military head of state, Gen Sani Abacha as “insufficient.”
SERAP had accused the Federal Government of having no records of the spending of about $5billion recovered Abacha loot for the period between 1999 and 2015.
The government’s response followed SERAP’s Freedom of Information (FoI) requests sent to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abukabar Malami, SAN; and Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, requesting: “information on the exact amount of public funds stolen by Abacha, and details of spending of about $5billion recovered loot since the return of democracy in 1999.”
According to SERAP, in a statement dated March 15, 2020, by its Deputy Director, Mr. Kolawole Oluwadare, only Malami sent a reply to its FoI requests.
In the reply dated February 26, 2020 but which SERAP said it received March 9, 2020, Malami said: “We have searched our records and the information on the exact amount of public funds stolen by Abacha and how recovered loot was spent from 1999–2015 is not held by the ministry.
“However, a total of $322million was recovered from Switzerland in January, 2018 and the funds were used for Social Investment Project. Also, $308million was recovered from the Island of Jersey in collaboration with the USA. While awaiting the transfer of the money to Nigeria, it has been designated for the following projects: Lagos—Ibadan Expressway; Abuja—Kano Expressway, and Second Niger Bridge.”