President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration has identified banks, financial institutions and countries that are involved in illegal transactions in the sale of Nigeria’s stolen crude oil.
Addressing visiting United States Congressmen at the Presidential Villa, Abuja today, the President said that this was how far his administration had gone in stepping up efforts to recover looted Nigerian funds.
Buhari acknowledged the support and cooperation his administration was getting from the international community in gathering intelligence for tracing and recovering stolen national resources.
“We are getting cooperation from the international community, including information on ships that take crude oil from Nigeria and change direction, or pour their contents into other ships mid-stream.
“Some monies were paid to individual accounts. We are identifying the financial institutions and countries that are involved.
“I have been assured that when we get all our documents together, the United States and other countries will treat our case with sympathy.”
The President also told the Congressmen that his administration would welcome more regular meetings of the Nigeria-U.S. Bi-National Commission.
Buhari said that the commission could serve as a more useful platform for the promotion of bilateral trade and economic relations as well as joint cooperation in the war against terrorism.
Leader of the delegation, Darrel Issa, assured Buhari that the U.S. would support Nigeria against Boko Haram by providing training, intelligence and military platforms.
“We look forward to helping you in many ways to end the Boko Haram insurgency and the theft of crude oil in the Gulf of Guinea.” [myad]
