Trump Disbands U.S Team Tracking Sani Abacha’s Looted Funds For Nigeria
United States President, Donald Trump has disbanded the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, a specialised unit within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) responsible for tracing and recovering assets looted by Nigeria’s former military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, and other corrupt foreign officials.
According to a report by Peoples Gazette, a source within the unit confirmed that Pam Bondi, the newly appointed U.S. Attorney General, quietly dismantled the team earlier in the week following direct approval from Mr Trump.
The move comes as the outgoing administration winds down several government programmes, redirecting focus towards the dismantling of narcotics and human trafficking networks.
The decision has raised concerns among anti-corruption advocates, as the Kleptocracy Initiative, launched in 2010, played a key role in investigating and recovering stolen public funds hidden in foreign accounts.
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The unit was instrumental in ongoing litigation to retrieve Abacha’s looted assets, some of which were linked to Atiku Bagudu, Nigeria’s Minister of Budget and Economic Planning under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Observers fear that disbanding the initiative could hinder further discoveries of undetected Abacha-linked assets, which investigators believe are still hidden in offshore accounts.
The fate of ongoing legal proceedings in the U.S., the United Kingdom, and other jurisdictions remains uncertain, as it is unclear whether the DOJ will continue cooperating with parallel investigations.
Efforts to obtain a reaction from Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were unsuccessful, as spokesperson Dele Oyewale had yet to respond to inquiries.
Similarly, Bayo Onanuga, the presidential spokesperson, did not provide a statement regarding the development.
With the initiative now scrapped, analysts say this could pose a major setback to Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight, as Washington had previously played a crucial role in tracking and repatriating stolen funds.
Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.
