LONDON – Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has enjoined western leaders to prosecute corrupt Nigerians in their countries and repatriate stolen funds back home.
He assured that his government would provide all necessary legal documents to secure conviction.
Buhari spoke Wednesday morning in London on “Tackling Corruption Together” at a conference organized by the Commonwealth for Civil Society, Business and Government Leaders.
President Buhari however, expressed frustrations at getting stolen funds repatriate d to Nigeria, saying the process “is very tedious’.
“We are seeking the support of many countries for the prosecution of certain individuals residing in their jurisdictions.
“Of course we will provide the necessary legal documents and whatever mutual assistance is required to secure conviction of such individuals, as well as facilitate the repatriation of our stolen assets,” he assured world leaders present.
However, he lamented, “Unfortunately, our experience has been that repatriation of corrupt proceeds is very tedious, time consuming, costly and entails more than just the signing of bilateral or multilateral agreements.
“This should not be the case as there are provisions in the appropriate United Nations Convention that require countries to return assets to countries from where it is proven that they were illegitimately acquired.”
The Nigerian leader reassured that his government would be favourably disposed to forging strategic partnerships with governments, civil society organizations, organized private sector and international organizations to combat corruption.
“Our sad national experience had been that domestic perpetrators of corrupt practices do often work hand-in-hand with international criminal cartels.
“This evil practice is manifested in the plundering and stealing of public funds, which are then transferred abroad into secret accounts.
“I therefore, call for the establishment of an international anti-corruption infrastructure that will monitor, trace and facilitate the return of such assets to their countries of origin.
“It is important to stress that the repatriation of identified stolen funds should be done without delay or preconditions,” he stressed.
On the oil theft which is gradually crippling Nigeria’s economy, President Buhari called on the international community to designate oil theft as an international crime similar to the trade in “blood diamonds”, saying it constitutes an imminent and credible threat to the economy and stability of oil-producing countries like Nigeria.
He spoke further, “A main component of this anti-corruption partnership is that governments must demonstrate unquestionable political will and commitment to the fight.
“The private sector must come clean and be transparent, and civil society, while keeping a watch on all stakeholders, must act and report with a sense of responsibility and objectivity.
“Nigeria is committed to signing the Open Government Partnership initiatives alongside Prime Minister Cameron during the Summit tomorrow.
“Now in London, we can turn a new page by creating a multi-state and multi-stakeholder partnership to address this menace.”
