By Uche Mbah
The United states appear not to be comfortable with the involvement of Kebbi state governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, in the negotiations and repatriation of $100 million Abacha loot, citing the involvement of Bagudu in aiding Abacha to move the money and hide it in the United states in the first place. This, it is feared, may put a wedge between Nigeria and the US as regards further negotiations on repatriation of more loots, which Amnesty International put at $5 billion, out of which about $2 billion has been repatriated from various European countries..
Nigeria has shown inclination towards transferring the money to Kebbi state governor Abubakar Bagudu amid allegations from American authorities that Presidency is hindering laundered money traceable to Bagudu. The Buhari led government has anti graft war as one of it’s cardinal pillars of activity, although opposition leaders accuse him of witch hunting only members of the opposition and Christians in their bid to cow every opposition to their reign-an allegation presidency vehemently denies.
Baguda’s case with the US dated as far back as 2013.
Baguda had four investment portfolios which was held in trust for him and his family in the United Kingdom among other assets, and the US government has been asking for forfeiture of those trusts. They had accused Bagudu of being part of the conduit pipe through which Abacha embezzled funds belonging to Nigeria. The Goodluck Jonathan administration had requested for the forfeiture in 2012, but the Buhari administration preferred to act on the agreement purportedly reached in 2002 with the then President Olusegun Obasanjo after Bagudu successfully sued the Nigerian government. In the arrangement, which smacks of plea bargaining, Bagudu was asked to return $163 million of allegedly laundered money to the Federal Government. In reciprocity, government dropped all civil actions against him. Therefore, as part of Baguda settlement, government is proposing transferring the recovered loot to Baguda.
Baguda is currently the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Governors’ Forum, and is said to be using his influence to pressure presidency to return the money to him..
