Abacha loot: Presidency breaks silence over alleged plans by Buhari to ‘gift’ Gov Bagudu $100m

Nigeria’s Federal Government has rubbished allegation that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration plans to hand about $100 million the American authorities said was stolen by former dictator, Sani Abacha to Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi state, describing the report as mischievous.

The government said the allegations were figment of the imagination of mischief makers who are bent on destroying the good efforts of the Federal Government.

Bloomberg had reported that the U.S. opposed plans by the Buhari government to hand about $100 million of the money to Bagudu.

It said the disagreement may hamper future cooperation between the two nations to recover state money moved offshore by Abacha, who Transparency International estimates may have looted as much as $5 billion during his 1993-98 rule.

The U.S. Department of Justice accused Bagudu of being involved in corruption with Abacha.

The DoJ also contends that the Nigerian government is hindering U.S. efforts to recover allegedly laundered money it said it has traced to Bagudu.

However, Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami said on Saturday in a statement that “The story regarding paying a Governor certain amount of the repatriated Abacha loot is unfounded and baseless. It is only a fiction and figment of the imagination of mischief makers who are bent on destroying the good efforts of the FG.”