Nigeria recovered $5 billion in stolen assets over 25 years

Nigeria has successfully recovered over $5 billion in assets over the past 25 years, according to a report from the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC).

CISLAC’s Executive Director, Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), shared this during the launch of the 2024 Report on the Common African Position on Asset Recovery (CARPA) in Nigeria. CARPA, a framework adopted by the African Union in 2020, aims to support African nations in recovering illicit funds.

“Over the past 25 years, Nigeria has recovered over $5 billion in stolen assets, including significant sums returned from Switzerland and the United States. Some notable cases include the Abacha assets, where hundreds of millions of dollars looted by former military ruler Sani Abacha were repatriated after decades of international negotiations,” he said.