US to help trace Nigeria’s embezzled funds

Firstclass newsline gathered that the United States will offer to help
Nigeria's new leader track down billions of dollars in stolen assets
and increase US military assistance to fight Islamic militants, US
officials said, as Washington seeks to "reset" ties with Africa's
biggest economy.
The visit to Washington by President Muhammadu Buhari is viewed by the
US administration as a chance to set the seal on improving ties since
he won a March election, hailed as Nigeria's first democratic power
transition in decades.
US cooperation with Buhari's predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, had
virtually ground to a halt over issues, including his refusal to
investigate corruption and human rights abuses by the Nigerian
military.
"President (Barack Obama) has long seen Nigeria as arguably the most
important strategic country in sub-Saharan Africa.
"The question is: would there be an opportunity to deepen our
engagement? That opportunity is now," US Deputy Secretary of State,
Tony Blinken, told Reuters.
The improving ties with Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer, came
as US relations have cooled with two other traditional African powers
– Egypt and South Africa.
US officials have said they were willing to send military trainers to
help Nigeria counter a six-year-old northern insurgency by the Boko
Haram Islamist movement.
Since Buhari's election, Washington has committed $5m in new support
to a multi-national task force set up to fight the group. This is in
addition to at least $34m it is providing for Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon
and Niger for equipment and logistics.
Buhari's move on July 13 to fire military chiefs appointed by Jonathan
cleared the way for more military cooperation, US officials said.
"We've made it clear. There are additional things that can be done,
especially now that there is a new military leadership in place," a
senior US official said.
Another senior US official said Washington was urging Buhari, a Muslim
from the country's North, to step up regional cooperation against the
militants and to provide more aid to afflicted communities to reduce
the group's recruiting power.
Buhari has said his priorities were strengthening Nigeria's economy,
which has been hard-hit by the fall in oil prices, boosting investment
and tackling 'the biggest monster of all' – corruption.
"Here too, he is looking to deepen collaboration and one of the things
he is focused on is asset recovery. He is hopeful we can help them
recover some of that," the official said. "
In 2014, the US took control of more than $480m siphoned away by
former Nigerian dictator, Sani Abacha, and his associates into banks
around the world.
Washington has broad powers to track suspicious funds and enforce
sanctions against individuals.
Firstclassnewsline.net