Oluwafunbi Bello 
ABUJA, Nigeria – A leading anti-corruption group is demanding full transparency in the utilisation of $9.5 million recently repatriated to Nigeria from the United Kingdom, insisting that citizens must track how every dollar is spent.
The Human Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) issued the call following a repatriation agreement between the Federal Government and Jersey authorities over funds linked to corruption involving senior Nigerian officials.
HEDA’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, describes the recovery as a milestone but warns that public confidence depends on openness and accountability.
“Nigerians deserve to see, track and verify how recovered assets are utilised. There must be full transparency, public disclosure and independent monitoring,” Suraju says.
The funds were forfeited after a January 12, 2024, ruling by the Royal Court of Jersey, which finds that money held in a Jersey bank account likely originated from corrupt dealings. The court determines that contractors diverted public funds for the benefit of high-ranking officials and their associates.
Jersey’s Attorney General, Mark Temple KC, formalises the repatriation through a memorandum signed in December 2025, with confirmation announced in Abuja last week.
“This return demonstrates the strength of our civil forfeiture legislation in tackling corruption,” Temple says.
According to the agreement, the recovered funds will support completion of the Abuja–Kano Road, a 375-kilometre highway linking Nigeria’s capital to its second-largest city.
Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, welcomes the development, describing it as proof of effective international cooperation.
“The recovery underscores that there is no safe haven for illicit wealth,” Fagbemi says.
HEDA urges the government to strengthen monitoring frameworks used in previous recoveries exceeding $300 million, warning that transparency remains essential to sustaining anti-corruption gains.
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Korede Abdullah 
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius