Nigeria and the United States have agreed to return about $52.88 million in assets confiscated from former petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and her associates. This marks the first time assets tied to Alison-Madueke, seized outside Nigeria, will be repatriated.
Nigeria’s justice minister, Lateef Fagbemi, said the agreement allows for the return of these funds, which stem from the forfeiture of assets connected to Alison-Madueke. The assets, referred to as the “Galactica assets,” were identified as proceeds of corruption.
In 2017, the US filed a civil case to recover approximately $144 million in assets allegedly acquired through bribes involving Alison-Madueke. The complaint claimed that Nigerian businessmen paid bribes to her during her time as minister overseeing the state-owned oil company NNPC.
The funds will primarily support rural electrification projects in Nigeria, with $50 million going towards renewable energy access through the World Bank. The remaining $2.88 million will be used as a grant to the International Institute for Justice to help strengthen counterterrorism measures in Africa.
Alison-Madueke, who served as petroleum minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan from 2010 to 2015, has denied corruption charges. Her last known location was in the UK. In October 2022, a Nigerian court ordered the confiscation of some of her properties and vehicles.
This move signals a significant step in Nigeria’s ongoing fight against corruption and efforts to recover stolen national wealth.