A group called The Africa Secretariat says over £400bn worth of Nigerian money is being stashed away in Europe, Asia and America. While President Muhammadu Buhari is seeking the assistance of the United States and European countries to recover looted Nigerian funds kept in foreign banks.
Coordinator of the United Kingdom-based group, Mr. Ben Oguntala, said on Friday that his group had suggested ways of recovering the looted funds to President Buhari.
He said: “The image President Buhari is projecting is his promise to fight corruption. He cannot do this alone and it is for this reason that we have sent the President our proposal for addressing corruption. “There is over £400bn worth of Nigerian money being fraudulently held in Europe, Asia and America. When we met with the President on his visit to London (earlier this year), he asked us to find out how Nigerians in the Diaspora can contribute to the development of Nigeria and we see fighting corruption as a cornerstone of that change that Nigeria is leading across Africa. “The perpetrators thought they got away from the Nigerian law but now, finally, the law can be extended to bring them to account.” According to Oguntala, an anti-corruption agency which will be established in Britain has been suggested to Buhari. He said: “The Nigerian Corruption Amnesty Commission proposal has been suggested and submitted to the President. It will be headed by one of the most talented lawyers in criminal law in the world. The commission will be answerable directly to the President and will be held in the UK, using the UK and European Union laws to target perpetrators who thought they were out of the Nigerian legal jurisdiction,”. The proposed commission, Oguntala noted, would invoke the powers of UK’s Bribery and Corruption Act of 2010 and its EU and US equivalent, in collaboration with the Serious Fraud Office and the Metropolitan Police and international fraud agencies that already have names of those that defrauded Nigeria on their radar.
The NCAC will also allow Nigerians in the Diaspora and their country to give evidence to the commission.
Oguntala added: “Using social media and the Internet, witnesses will be able to give evidence from any location across the world, providing evidence of corruption they know. The commission will also give a window for perpetrators to confess and return their loots or face the book being thrown at them. “As part of the confession they give, the commission will demand details of how they carried out the corruption and the information will be used to plug the loophole in the commensurate sources in Nigeria to ensure we prevent such graft from happening again.” For more scintillating and juicy stories, follow the official Naijapals accounts On Twitter - @Naijapals and Facebook - www.facebook.com/naijapals
I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist
Posted: at 9-08-2015 05:24 AM (9 years ago) | Addicted Hero
victorstic1 at 9-08-2015 05:53 AM (9 years ago) (m)
ALL I NEED AND WANT TO HEAR IS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RECOVER SOME BILLIONS NOT THIS STORY THIS IS MEANT FOR U GUYS NOT PUBLIC CONSUMPTION
Posted: at 9-08-2015 05:53 AM (9 years ago) | Gistmaniac
I wept for my beloved country Nigeria anytime i read news like this and after watching the video in the early days of Nigeria when Prime Minister Abubakar Belewa Visited USA July 25Th 1961, What a glorious welcome of a Hero and Great Nation of Nigeria, What happen to the legacy and pride of Nigeria? The Nigerian Corruption as kill the once great nationa call Niger Area
Posted: at 9-08-2015 06:06 AM (9 years ago) | Gistmaniac
It's a normal thing. This is not supposed to be news. "News" means happenings or stories that we hv not heard b4. But in naija, dis is not news!! No be today
Posted: at 9-08-2015 10:23 AM (9 years ago) | Hero