Mallam Abba Kyari, the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, and his daughter, Aisha have come under investigation in the United States of America in connection with the $311m Abacha loot that was recently repatriated to Nigeria.
The investigation was launched by the Washington-based US NIGERIA LAW GROUP, to ascertain the roles played by the duo in the repatriation of the loot.
The group has already written to the US State Department and US Congress over the matter. The letter dated May 7, 2020 was signed by the Managing Partner, international human rights lawyer, Emmanuel Ogebe.
Entitled “FOIA REQUEST RE NIGERIA ABACHA LOOT”, the letter was addressed to the Office of Information Programs and Services, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C. It reads:
“Dear FOIA Officer:
“This is a request filed under the Freedom of Information Act.
“Date range of request: July 1, 2016 through January 30, 2020
“Description of Request:
“Please search the records of the Bureau of African Affairs and the office of the Secretary of State for all documents, including memos, cables, meeting read outs and specific requests from and involving the Chief of Staff to Nigeria’s President, Abba Kyari, regarding the return of the “Abacha loot” – monies stolen from Nigeria and forfeited to the US government.
“Please include any discussion or document acknowledging the fact that Abba Kyari’s daughter had been appointed Vice President of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Agency (NSIA) the very same agency to which the $311 million repatriated by the US to Nigeria is going and which agency is to be paid for managing the Abacha loot.
“Please provide any document showing whether this was cleared of any potential conflict of interest or nepotism.
“Please provide all documents that validate the statement last month by the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, that;
“Kyari was a valued and respected interlocutor for the U.S. government and particularly for our leadership team in Abuja.
“ “We appreciate working with him on many important matters, including the return to the Nigerian people of over $300 million in funds stolen by Sani Abacha.
“ “He envisioned the funds going to three geographically disparate infrastructure projects as a way to unite Nigeria economically.”
“ “His dedication to this matter, to fighting corruption, and to countless other investments and policies for the future of Nigeria will leave a lasting impact on your country “
“Expeditious Handling:
“We are an international human rights law group conducting an anti-corruption investigation.
“In light of the return of $311 million by the US to Nigeria last week and the likelihood that a family member of the interlocutor would be put in charge of the funds and potentially benefit financially as a result, we would like this responded to in a timely fashion.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
