Federal Government Forgives Muhammed Abacha On Money Stolen

 

  Muhammed Abacha 

Latest reports coming out of Abuja indicate that the federal government on Wednesday, 18 June, 2014 withdrew charges of receiving stolen property worth

N100.38 billion against Mohammed Abacha. The government had accused Mohammed of receiving stolen property worth N100.38 billion. The money is believed to have been stolen by the late dictator when he was the Nigerian head of state.

Several billions of Naira stolen by the military dictator and kept in foreign countries have been recovered by the federal government. The federal government recently asked the United States to return another $500 million recently frozen by the U.S. as part of funds stolen by the late dictator. His son, Mohammed, played a major role in the Abacha administration and is believed to have helped his father launder a lot of the stolen funds.

As at the time of compiling this report, details are still being expected from the court.

Meanwhile, it could be recalled that the absence of the son of the late Head of State in April stalled proceedings in his trial over fresh charges of unlawfully receiving about N446.3billion allegedly stolen from government’s coffers between 1995 and 1998.

When the case came up for hearing before Justice Mamman Kolo of an Abuja High Court, Mohammed, who is facing a fresh nine-count charge, was absent at the court as a result of ill health.

The case against him had been adjourned to enable Muhammed plea to the charge, but when the case was called, his lawyer, Mr. Reuben Atabo, said the young Abacha could not make it to the court due to ill health.

Atabo therefore applied for an adjournment, saying the accused was ready to clear his name with respect to the allegations He submitted a medical report in support of his oral application for adjournment as he asked the court to fix another date to enable Mohammed recuperate and attend to his trial.

Mohammed Abacha is the eldest surviving son of Nigeria’s former de facto President, the late general Sani Abacha and Maryam Abacha.

During his father’s military rule, Mohammed Abacha was involved in looting the government. A preliminary report published by the Abdulsalam Abubakar transitional government in November 1998 described the process which the Abachas used to siphoned money from national coffers.

It was revealed that the late Sani Abacha told his National Security Adviser Ismaila Gwarzo to provide fake funding requests, which Abacha approved. The funds were usually sent in cash or travellers’ cheques by the Central Bank of Nigeria to Gwarzo Kuncnoni, who took them to Abacha’s house.

Mohammed Abacha then arranged to launder the money to offshore accounts. It was believed that an estimated $1.4 billion in cash was delivered in this way.