The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International (TI) Nigeria have praised the United Kingdom for recovering $9.5 million in stolen Nigerian assets.
In a statement, CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Rafsanjani, described the recovery as a strong demonstration of international cooperation in the fight against corruption.
He said the action aligns with Nigeria’s Proceeds of Crime Act (PoCA) 2022, which promotes cross-border collaboration in tracing and recovering illicit assets.
According to the organisations, PoCA provides a comprehensive framework for tracing, freezing, confiscating, managing and recovering proceeds of crime, both locally and internationally. They noted that the law remains Nigeria’s principal instrument for ensuring that criminals do not benefit from corruption, particularly funds looted and hidden abroad.
CISLAC and TI Nigeria said the recovery highlights the importance of mutual legal assistance, describing such cooperation as critical to deterring illicit financial flows.
However, while welcoming the return of the funds, the groups expressed concern over their utilisation, citing limited public information on how recovered assets are deployed.
They said that despite significant asset recoveries over the past decade, transparency in the management of returned funds remains weak.
The organisations urged the Federal Government to fully implement PoCA and honour its commitments under the Global Forum on Asset Recovery. They also called for independent oversight by the National Assembly to ensure recovered assets are properly traced, tracked and transparently managed.
Rafsanjani warned that accountability is undermined when recovered funds are absorbed into general government expenditure without clear reporting mechanisms, and called for stronger enforcement, improved transparency and institutional reforms to ensure recovered assets deliver tangible benefits to Nigerians.
