Looted Funds: Government seeks repatriation of 311 powerful offenders

In its bid to stem the alarming rate at which Nigerians escape to other countries for refuge after committing heinous crimes in the country, the Federal Government has sought the cooperation of other governments in fishing out no fewer than 311 of such suspects from their hideouts across the world, and handing them over.The government has not, however, given full information on the alleged criminals and the exact amount looted.While that is pending, the government has been reported to have received 636 extradition requests from foreign governments to assist them in dealing with such elements, who fled their lands after committing serious offences.The suspects are wanted in their home countries to answer to alleged crimes perpetuated by them before they fled such countries to seek safe haven in Nigeria.Of the number received, the federal government has forwarded a total of 503 requests to competent authorities for execution.The above information was contained in a document made available to newsmen from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice on the achievements of the Buhari administration in the Justice sector since assumption of office two years ago.The development is covered under the Mutual Legal Assistance, MLA, signed between Nigeria and six nations, with a view to repatriating looted funds and prosecuting the masterminds of such crime by the countries involved, thereby reducing the incidence of graft.The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, confirmed to newsmen that the ministry of Justice received a total of 5658 criminal cases in the last two years of the administration out of which 100 cases were successfully concluded.Malami disclosed that included in the 100 decided matters were terrorism cases, while 2000 other criminal cases received from the Nigeria Police for prosecution in the Magistrate Court were pending due to logistics challenges.“As a result of the commission’s robust enforcement and prosecutorial activities and Nigeria’s active participation in World Intellectual Property Organisation, WIPO, the country secured the establishment of an external office of WIPO in Nigeria.“Nigeria remains delisted from the United States 301 list of countries that are not seriously addressing copyright piracy and other Intellectual Property crimes,” Malami said.