The Bailiwick of Jersey has agreed to return more than $9.5 million in looted funds to Nigeria after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government.
The agreement was signed in December 2025 by His Majesty’s Attorney General for Jersey, Mark Temple KC, and formally confirmed in Abuja on Friday, January 9, 2026.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the British High Commission through Stephen Odekunle.
The funds were forfeited following a ruling by the Royal Court of Jersey on January 12, 2024. The court held that the money, kept in a Jersey bank account, was “more likely than not” proceeds of corruption.
According to the ruling, the funds came from a corrupt scheme in which third-party contractors diverted Nigerian government money for the benefit of senior officials and their associates.
The forfeiture was carried out under the Forfeiture of Assets (Civil Proceedings) (Jersey) Law 2018.
Speaking on the development, Temple said the recovery showed the strength of Jersey’s laws and its cooperation with Nigeria.
“This successful return demonstrates the strength of our civil forfeiture legislation as a powerful tool in the fight against corruption,” he said.
“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 latest MoU adds to two earlier agreements between Jersey and Nigeria, under which over $300 million has already been returned.
Those funds were used to support major projects including the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, the Second Niger Bridge and the Abuja–Kano Road. The Lagos–Ibadan Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge have already been completed.
Under the new agreement, the recovered $9.5 million will be used for the final phase of the Abuja–Kano Road project. The 375-kilometre highway is seen as a key transport route linking Abuja to Kano, Nigeria’s second-largest city.
Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), welcomed the agreement, saying it showed Nigeria’s resolve to recover stolen assets abroad.
“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,” Fagbemi said.
He also thanked the Jersey authorities for their support.
“On behalf of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I thank the Bailiwick of Jersey for the cooperation accorded Nigeria during the recovery exercise,” he said.
“I further assure the Bailiwick of Jersey that the repatriated assets will further be judiciously utilised in line with the terms of the executed Memorandum of Understanding.”
