The Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, has said that the 4.2 million pounds Ibori loot has not been returned to Delta State, contrary to his earlier claim.
Mr Idris had on Tuesday told federal lawmakers in Abuja that the money, returned to the Nigerian government by the UK government, had been returned to Delta State from where it was stolen by James Ibori, former Delta governor.
However, the Delta State Government said on Wednesday that it has yet to receive the money.
In a late Wednesday statement, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) clarified its position, saying,
“The issue of the £4.2m Ibori Loot has not been properly resolved.”
The OAGF’s director of Information, Press and Public Relations, Henshaw Ogubike, in the statement, said the money “is still being awaited, after which the issues around it will be resolved before further action is taken.”
“For now, no money has been returned to Delta State,” he said.
This explanation, he said, is without prejudice to the proceedings at the House of Representatives during which Mr Idris “was only making general comments about recoveries relating to State Governments.”
PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Idris said Tuesday that the money had been returned to the Delta State Government. He also said such recovered monies, stolen from states, are returned to the appropriate states.
The 4.2 million pounds was stolen by former Delta governor James Ibori and lodged in UK accounts. Mr Ibori was convicted in the UK for money laundering and has served his term. He is back in Nigeria where he is actively involved in the politics of the Delta State as a godfather.
The stolen money was recently returned to the Nigerian government by the UK government which seized it from the former governor.
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