A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to disclose the spending details of $5b Abacha loot under the administration of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.
The Presiding Judge Justice James Omotosho ordered the President to disclose the precise amount stolen by Abacha from the country and the amount recovered as well as all agreements signed on the money by the former affected presidents.
The Socio-Economic Rights Accountability Project (SERAP) had approached the court to investigate the Abacha loot under the former presidents.
Delivering the Judgement Justice Omotosho ordered the Ministry of Finance to give SERAP the full spending details of about $5bn Abacha loot within 7 days of the judgment.
Justice Omotosho ordered the government to disclose details of the projects executed with the Abacha loot, locations of any such projects and the names of companies and contractors that carried or carrying out the projects since the return of democracy in 1999 till date.
Justice Omotosho also ordered the government to make available the specific roles played by the World Bank and other partners in the execution of any projects funded with Abacha loot under the governments of the former presidents.
