After about two decades, Nigeria is within poles to recover $954,000 Diepreye Alamieyeseigha loot from the United States.
Nigeria and the United States Thursday signed an agreement for the repatriation of stolen funds.
Alamieyeseigha is the former governor of Bayelsa state. He was the first civilian governor of the state when he was voted in on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in 1999. His second term in office was cut short as he was arrested and placed under house arrest in London for money laundering in 2005.
His return to the country has been shrouded in controversy as he was alleged to have disguised as a woman so as to beat the British immigration and security services.
Alamieyeseigha who died in 2015, 10 October was believed to have embezzled huge funds from the state cofer, as the $954,000 formed part of looted assets recovered from him.
The Solicitor General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Beatrice Jedy-Agba signed for Nigeria, while the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard signed for her country.
Speaking at the event held at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja, Mrs. Jedy-Agba said President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that the repatriated funds should be deployed to the improvement of health facilities in Bayelsa State.
She said the $954000 was derived from property and investment funds in Maryland and Massachusetts in the US, in which Alamieyeseigha deployed some of the funds he looted while in office.
