President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday partially fulfilled his promise to publish specific details of funds traced to and recovered from corrupt former government officials as part of his war against endemic graft. The names of the corrupt officials from whom the assets were recovered were however not disclosed.
Details of the recoveries, published by the Federal Ministry of Information, showed that the Nigerian government successfully retrieved total cash amount N78,325,354,631.82, $185,119,584.61, £3,508,355.46 and €11, 250 between May 29, 2015 and May 25, 2016. Also released were recoveries under interim forfeiture, which were a combination of cash and assets, during the same period: N126,563,481,095.43, $9,090,243,920.15, £2,484,447.55 and €303,399.17.
Anticipated repatriation from foreign countries totaled: $321,316,726.1, £6,900,000 and €11,826.11. The ministry also announced that 239 non-cash recoveries were made during the one-year period. The non-cash recoveries are – farmlands, plots of land, uncompleted buildings, completed buildings, vehicles and maritime vessels, the ministry said. Since May 29, the president had endured intense criticism from the Nigerian public who criticised him for failing to fulfill a promise he made on May 14 in London.
