The Government of Nigeria is set to receive more than $9.5 million in recovered assets following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bailiwick of Jersey, marking another significant advance in international cooperation against corruption.
The MoU, executed in December 2025 by Jersey’s Attorney General, Mark Temple KC, provides for the repatriation of funds adjudged to be proceeds of corruption and forfeited by the Royal Court of Jersey. The recovered assets are to be applied to the completion of a major infrastructure project in Nigeria.
Court records indicate that on 29 November 2023, the Attorney General of Jersey instituted civil forfeiture proceedings under the Forfeiture of Assets (Civil Proceedings) (Jersey) Law 2018, targeting funds held in a Jersey-based bank account. On 12 January 2024, the Royal Court granted the forfeiture order, finding that the monies were more likely than not linked to a corrupt scheme involving the diversion of public resources by contractors for the benefit of senior Nigerian officials and their associates.
The latest recovery builds on longstanding cooperation between Jersey and Nigeria, which has previously resulted in the repatriation of more than $300 million. Those funds were deployed to finance critical infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Second Niger Bridge, and the Abuja-Kano Road. While the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge have been completed, the newly repatriated funds will be channelled towards the final stages of the 375-kilometre Abuja-Kano highway, a key transport corridor linking the Federal Capital Territory to northern Nigeria.
Speaking on the development, Mr Temple said the successful recovery and return of the funds demonstrated the effectiveness of Jersey’s civil forfeiture regime in combating financial crime. He also commended the close collaboration between Jersey authorities and Nigerian institutions throughout the process.
Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, welcomed the repatriation, describing it as further evidence of Nigeria’s expanding international partnerships to ensure that illicit assets have no safe haven abroad. He assured that the funds would be utilised transparently and strictly in accordance with the terms of the MoU.
The agreement underscores global efforts to trace, seize and return stolen public assets, while supporting Nigeria’s drive to strengthen accountability and deliver critical infrastructure for its citizens.
