Trump shuts down DOJ unit tracking Abacha loot

Trump shuts down DOJ unit tracking Abacha loot

United States President, Donald Trump,  has quietly disbanded the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, a specialized unit within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) tasked with tracing billions of dollars looted by Nigeria’s former military ruler, Sani Abacha, as well as assets tied to global corruption cases, Peoples Gazette reports on Saturday.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed  that the unit was dissolved earlier this week following authorization from Trump.
The decision was implemented by newly appointed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as part of broader efforts by the administration to scale back several government programs.

The move has raised concerns among anti-corruption advocates, as the team had been pivotal in recovering and prosecuting cases involving billions in stolen funds. Notably, it was handling ongoing litigation related to Abacha’s loot, some of which has been linked to Atiku Bagudu, Nigeria’s current budget minister under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

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Disbanding the unit could hamper efforts to uncover and repatriate additional Abacha-linked funds, which investigators believe are still hidden in various jurisdictions. Established in 2010, the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative was specifically designed to pursue assets tied to international corruption networks.

Efforts to obtain comments from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report. Similarly, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga did not respond to requests for comment.

It remains unclear how the DOJ will handle cases already active in U.S. courts or whether it will maintain cooperation with parallel investigations in the United Kingdom and other countries aimed at recovering the Abacha loot.

The Trump administration has indicated that its focus will shift toward combating narcotics trafficking and human trafficking networks.

Trump shuts down DOJ unit tracking Abacha loot