We Have Identified Banks Where Stolen Funds Are Deposited – Buhari

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, says his administration has taken further efforts to recover Nigeria’s stolen funds, by identifying some banks and other financial institutions where the money has been deposited.

The President made the disclosure on Monday in Abuja during an audience with visiting U.S. Congressmen, led by Representative Darrel Issa.

According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, President Buhari told the Congressmen that his administration would welcome more regular meetings of the Nigeria-United States Bi-National Commission.

The statement further said the administration had also identified countries in which payments for stolen Nigerian crude oil have been deposited.

At the meeting with the U.S. Congressmen, President Buhari acknowledged the support and cooperation his administration was getting from the international community in gathering required intelligence for tracing and recovering stolen national resources.

“We are getting cooperation from the international community, including information on ships that take crude oil from Nigeria and change direction, or pour their contents into other ships mid-stream.

“Some monies were paid to individual accounts. We are identifying the financial institutions and countries that are involved.

“I have been assured that when we get all our documents together, the United States and other countries will treat our case with sympathy,” the President told the Congressmen.

‘End Boko Haram Insurgency’

He further stated that his administration would welcome more regular meetings of the Nigeria-United States Bi-National Commission, stressing that the Commission could serve as a more useful platform for the promotion of bilateral trade, economic relations and joint cooperation in the war against terrorism.

Mr Darrel assured President Buhari that the United States would support Nigeria against Boko Haram by providing training, intelligence and military platforms.

“We look forward to helping you in many ways to end the Boko Haram insurgency and the theft of crude oil in the Gulf of Guinea,” he said.

After his inauguration on May 29 President Buhari promised to recover funds that had been stolen by government officials who had abused their offices in the recent past, insisting that he would only probe that past administration.

He also promised special assistance to the three north eastern states – Adamawa, Borno  and Yobe – badly affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.