Authorities in Jersey, a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Channel Islands, have agreed to return more than $9.5 million (about £7 million) to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The repatriation follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in December 2025 between His Majesty’s Attorney General for Jersey, Mark Temple KC, and officials of the Nigerian Government.
The agreement builds on two earlier asset-recovery arrangements between Nigeria and Jersey that have already facilitated the return of over $300 million (£230 million) in forfeited assets.
The funds were held in a Jersey bank account and were declared by the Royal Court of Jersey in January 2024 to be proceeds of corruption. The court found that they were “more likely than not” derived from a scheme in which third-party contractors diverted public resources “for the benefit of senior Nigerian officials and their associates”.
According to a statement by the Government of Jersey, the funds will be allocated to the final stages of the Abuja–Kano Road project, a 375-kilometre highway regarded as a vital transport corridor linking Nigeria’s capital with its second-largest city.
Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, welcomed the development, describing the repatriation as evidence of effective international cooperation in combating corruption.
He was quoted saying: “The successful recovery and repatriation of the forfeited assets underscores the effectiveness of Nigeria’s collaborative efforts with its international partners in ensuring that there is no safe haven for illicitly acquired wealth or assets moved to foreign jurisdictions.”
Mr. Fagbemi also expressed gratitude to Jersey for its cooperation, adding that the Federal Government would ensure that the returned assets are utilized judiciously in accordance with the terms of the MoU.
For his part, Mr Temple described the repatriation as a demonstration of the strength of Jersey’s legal framework in tackling financial crime.
He said: “This successful return demonstrates the strength of our civil forfeiture legislation as a powerful tool in the fight against corruption. I thank the Nigerian authorities for their cooperation and the Economic Crime and Confiscation Unit in my Department for their unwavering commitment to recover the proceeds of crime.”
The process leading to the return of the funds began in November 2023, when Jersey’s Attorney General applied to the Royal Court under the Forfeiture of Assets (Civil Proceedings) (Jersey) Law 2018 in respect of “tainted property” held in a local bank account. The January 2024 ruling confirmed that the assets were likely the proceeds of a corrupt scheme.
The repatriated money is understood to be linked to the broader recovery of assets traced to the regime of the late military ruler General Sani Abacha, whose government was notorious for large-scale misappropriation of public funds.
Portions of these looted assets were recovered under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, but legal issues delayed their return until the recent agreement.
The previously repatriated funds from earlier Jersey–Nigeria agreements have been applied to several major road projects, including the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge, both of which are now completed, providing tangible public benefits from recovered assets.
The latest repatriation marks another milestone in Nigeria’s long-running effort to reclaim assets siphoned out of the country.
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