By John Ikani
Former Nigerian Delta state governor, James Ibori, has been ordered by a UK judge to surrender £100m ($130m) allegedly stolen, according to Reuters.
The confiscation order represents one of the largest individual seizures in recent British legal history.
Ibori, who is currently in Nigeria, stated that he intends to appeal against the order.
“The next steps will be to take my fight for justice to the highest courts in the UK,” he asserted in a statement.
Previously serving as the governor of oil-rich Delta State from 1999 to 2007, Ibori was extradited from Dubai to Britain in 2011.
In 2012, he pleaded guilty to 10 counts of fraud and money-laundering, resulting in a 13-year jail sentence, of which he served half, as per standard practice.
The case has been hailed as a significant milestone in the battle against corruption, not only in Britain—a global hub for money laundering—but also in Nigeria, where the enrichment of the ruling elite has long hindered the nation’s development.
During the court proceedings at Southwark Crown Court, Judge David Tomlinson ordered Ibori to pay the sum without delay or face an eight-year jail term.
Requests for comment from Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s spokespersons on whether the Nigerian government would cooperate in enforcing the order were left unanswered.
Despite his conviction, Ibori retains significant influence and connections in Nigeria’s political landscape.
President Tinubu has hosted him twice at the presidential villa, along with other former governors.
His continued interactions with the ruling elite highlight his political influence in Delta State.
The lengthy process to reach this point in the confiscation of Ibori’s assets spanned over a decade, plagued by court delays and legal complications in London.
“The long and tortuous road to reach this point shows just how tough it is to recover the proceeds of corruption in the UK,” commented Helen Taylor, Senior Legal Researcher at Spotlight on Corruption, a campaign group.
She stressed the need for expeditiously returning the stolen funds to benefit the victims of Ibori’s corruption in Delta State.
The British government has pledged to repatriate any recovered funds to Nigeria.
Previously, in 2021, it returned £4.2 million confiscated from Ibori’s ex-wife and sister, both of whom served jail time for assisting him.
