The United States has agreed to repatriate a sum of $US954,807 allegedly looted by former Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. According to the Ministry of Justice, the US$954,807.40 obtained from properties in Maryland and Massachusetts in the U.S. have been earmarked for funding various sectors of the economy, including the government’s poverty alleviation schemes. The government had in November 2022 disclosed that over US$1bn had been recovered as looted funds by the present administration in the last seven and half years but analysts note that not only have there been inconsistencies in the figures presented by the government but the utilization of such recovered loot to fund social intervention programs (such as NPower, and Trader Moni) necessitates a holistic impact assessment. Analysts also believe that such looted funds would be better utilized were an Asset Recovery Management Agency to be established. Such an agency would also provide credible statistics and data on the recovery of such funds.
