The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International Nigeria (TI Nigeria) have praised the United Kingdom government for its successful role in recovering $9.5 million in stolen Nigerian assets.
International Cooperation Against Corruption
In a statement released on Saturday, 10 January 2026, the organisations described this recovery as a positive model of international collaboration in combating corruption and illicit financial flows. The Executive Director of CISLAC and Head of TI Nigeria, Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, stated that this achievement aligns perfectly with the goals of Nigeria's Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) of 2022.
Rafsanjani explained that POCA serves as Nigeria's primary legal instrument for ensuring criminals do not profit from corruption. The law provides a comprehensive framework for tracing, freezing, confiscating, and repatriating proceeds of crime, both within Nigeria and from foreign countries.
Concerns Over Management of Recovered Funds
While welcoming the return of the funds, Rafsanjani raised significant concerns about how recovered assets are used and managed. He stressed that despite substantial recoveries over the past decade, Nigerians still have very limited access to information on how these funds are ultimately deployed.
Public dissatisfaction remains high due to this lack of transparency. Rafsanjani noted that civil society groups have already developed accountability frameworks in line with POCA. These frameworks are designed to prevent re-looting and ensure recovered money is used for genuine public benefit.
He argued that Nigeria must focus not only on recovering looted funds but also on fixing the systemic failures that enable theft in the first place. With Nigeria losing an estimated $18 billion annually to illicit financial flows, recovery efforts alone are insufficient. There is an urgent need to sanitise financial institutions and systems to stop public funds from being illegally siphoned abroad.
Call for Transparency and Stronger Implementation
Rafsanjani warned that Nigeria's high share of illicit financial flows in Africa directly fuels poverty, weakens infrastructure development, and damages the country's global reputation. He pointed out that Nigerians often face suspicion and discrimination abroad due to credibility issues linked to domestic financial mismanagement.
The CISLAC boss outlined key accountability measures required to guarantee transparency:
- Independent monitoring and oversight of recovered assets.
- Public disclosure of Memoranda of Understanding that guide asset repatriation.
- Clear public information on where and how recovered funds will be spent.
He called for public reporting, regular audits, and strict sanctions against anyone involved in re-looting recovered proceeds, as provided under POCA. Rafsanjani insisted that recovered assets should be placed in dedicated accounts to enable proper tracking. He warned that once such funds enter general government accounts, transparency becomes difficult and the risk of absorption into routine spending increases dramatically.
The statement urged the Federal Government to fully implement the Proceeds of Crime Act and honour its commitments under the Global Forum on Asset Recovery. This includes the transparent management of recovered assets and their use to improve citizens' welfare. It also called for independent oversight by the National Assembly to ensure funds are effectively traced and managed according to POCA's objectives.
Rafsanjani highlighted the ongoing challenges civil society faces, particularly limited access to timely and accurate information on recovered assets. He urged the government to provide clearer and more consistent data to counter misinformation and fake news.
While describing the $9.5 million recovery as a positive step, the organisations warned that weak enforcement, prolonged litigation, institutional weaknesses, and procedural delays continue to undermine Nigeria's asset recovery system. They called on the government to prioritise implementing POCA, strengthen institutions, block financial leakages, and safeguard public resources to ensure recovered assets deliver tangible benefits to all Nigerians.
