Recover looted funds, don’t take loan – Lawyer tells FG

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana has called on the Federal Government not to go ahead with their plan to get a $30b.

The human rights lawyer said the media should join in the campaign to compel the Federal Government to bring back the funds which corrupt officials took out of the country.

He said “The Financial Times Magazine of the UK wrote an editorial asking the UK Government to release not less than one billion pounds instead of giving us aid; the Nigerian media should join the campaign.”

Adding that “People have stolen our money, why are you begging them to return it? We need to fight them and collect the money; we do not need loans that will mortgage the future of our country.

“The government is asking for a loan of $29.6 billion and we have more than that to recover.”

Falana also said “For instance, $458 million has been forfeited in the U.S.; Nigeria has filed an application before the High Court in Jersey where the money was traced to.

“But the U.S. Government has filed an objection to the release of the money to the government of Nigeria, claiming the money should be paid to the U.S Government to be managed for Nigeria.

“We also have some money to collect from the Swiss Government; the Swiss Government is illegally saying that they are not going to release this money unless the World Bank is ready to supervise the management of the fund.

“Unfortunately, the government (Nigeria) is not challenging such violations of our sovereign rights as a nation.

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“Unless the Federal Government is prepared to adopt an aggressive policy against western governments and their very corrupt financial institutions, we are not going to come out of this mess.”

Meanwhile, the Emir of Kano, to get a loan, adding that no country will lend $30b to the Nigerian government.