Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami has explained that the delay in the final retrieval of the £4.2 million Ibori loot from the United Kingdom (UK) was as a result of some logistic challenges currently being addressed.
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ms. Catriona Laing, announced on March 9, this year, at a meeting with the AGF, that her country has concluded plans to return the money recovered from friends and family members of the former governor of Delta State, James Ibori to Nigeria.
Laing, who said the return of the £4.2 million was the first of such from the UK to Nigeria, under a memorandum of understanding signed between both countries in 2016, was, however, silent on the actual date the money would be released.
In a statement on Monday by his Special Assistant on Media, Dr. Umar Jibril Gwandu, Malami said the Federal Government is working tirelessly to ensure the return of looted Nigerian assets kept outside the country’s territorial boundaries.
Malami assured that any moment from now, Nigeria would receive the Ibori loot, explaining that sometimes, when a country transfers funds, it may take a little bit more time than expected due to some documentations.
“Documentations with the banks in different countries often take longer than anticipated. We anticipated two weeks but we are not in control of the banks. There is neither complacency nor any delay as efforts are being made to ensure successful transfer of the looted funds,” he said
Malami said his office and other relevant government agencies will keep the general public informed once the loot is received and confirmed.
He said the Federal Government was in touch with the UK government on the matter.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
