FG disowns U.S-based lawyer demanding 40 % of Abacha’s loot. cc @DrJoeAbah

Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami

The Nigerian Government on Thursday disowned a U.S-based Nigerian lawyer, who is laying claim to 40 percent of the $550 million (N218.3 billion) of the Abacha loot, which the United States Government is about to return to Nigeria. 

Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, in a 44-page document made available to Vanguard on Thursday, described Nnaka as a man trying to reap from where he did not sow. 

Malami said the Nigerian Government would not pay Nnaka the huge amount he is asking for since he is not qualified to practise law in the Maryland area where the case is taking place and did not recover any money for the country 14 years after the former Attorney General of the Federation, Olujimi, gave him a provisional letter to help locate and recover the Abacha loot. 

The court has also held that since the temporary letter given to Nnaka by Olujimi was not revalidated by Mohammed Adoke when the forfeiture case resumed in 2013, the lawyer could therefore not claim to be representing Nigeria. 

But Nnaka has appealed against the ruling and threatened to sue Malami for saying that he was not qualified to represent Nigeria and was not entitled to 40 percent of the Abacha loot. 

The litany of cases filed by Nnaka and the appeal by the USDOJ in conjunction with Nigeria, are said to be delaying the repatriation of the huge cash to Nigeria. Details later. (Vanguard).