Obasanjo in Jersey Island tasks Olujinmi on Abacha loot
PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo has stepped up efforts to retrieve the country's looted funds stashed away in Jersey Island, located off the coast of the United Kingdom.
Again on Wednesday, he asked the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Chief Akin Olujinmi to expedite action on the recovery of the looted funds.
In December last year, the authorities in Jersey Island had indicated willingness to return some stolen funds that were believed to have been lodged there during the regime of the late former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.
Obasanjo paid a four-hour visit to the island on Wednesday to negotiate the recovery of the funds with that country's authorities.
At the end of the meeting, the President asked Olujinmi to continue with the negotiations and also prepare all the legal documentation required to ensure the return of the money back to Nigeria.
The President commended the authorities in Jersey for their support for Nigeria's loot recovery efforts and also thanked them for their willingness to release funds hidden in their vaults.
Obasanjo said that his country had also received encouragement and support from other western nations, including Switzerland, in tracing and retrieving ill-gotten wealth taken abroad from the country.
He expressed hope that the Federal Government would receive similar support in the recovery of such funds hidden in other countries.
In attendance at the Jersey meeting were Nigeria's High Commissioner in the UK, Dr. Christopher Kolade, the National Security Adviser, Gen. Aliyu Mohammed and the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.
Earlier, before leaving London for Jersey, Obasanjo had received top level officials of the Commonwealth Secretariat led by the Secretary-General, Don Mckinnon.
The President in his capacity as the Commonwealth Chairperson discussed varying issues concerning member countries.
He reiterated his commitment to the achievement of global peace and his continuing efforts at the achievement of sustainable development for all developing nations.
Obasanjo also received a British government delegation led by Mr. Hillary Benn, Secretary for International Development.
The meeting afforded Obasanjo, also current Chairperson of the African Union's peace and security council, an opportunity to discuss the efforts being made to achieve peace in Africa.
The crisis in Dafur, Sudan, for which Obasanjo recommended an African solution with international support, was one of the issues discussed at the meeting.
He noted that a political solution to the crisis, which would involve all the stakeholders in the conflict was required to end the killings and consequent humanitarian problems.
Other issues discussed were the lingering crisis in Cote d'Ivoire and the boundary problem between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda.
The President has since returned home.
