Barely 48 hours after the government of president Muhammadu Buhari signed an agreements with the United Arab Emirate on repatriation of stolen funds and extradition of culpable officials, names of some former and serving government officials with properties in the oil-rich Arab country has began to emerge.
Although, no official pronouncement has been made on Nigerians that may fall into the trap set by the agreement, SaharaReporters via its twitter account on Thursday listed some former government officials in the last administration who owns or are linked with properties in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
The online platform listed the following persons as owners of properties in the UAE:
Governor Ayodele Fayose owns a house in Dubai
Former First Lady, Patience Jonathan has three properties in Dubai as well as several businesses
Former Bauchi governor, Isa Yuguda has a property in Abu Dhabi where he is currently hiding.
Former ‘Chief Servant’ of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu has a property linked to him in Dubai.
Former Aviation minster, Femi Fani-Kayode has a property linked to him in Dubai.
Former Minister of Transport Idris Umar also owns a property in Dubai where he is currently hiding in Dubai.
Former Minister of Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe also owns a property in Dubai.
Former Attorney General and minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke owns a house in Abu Dhabi.
Former minister of state for finance, Bashir Yuguda who is currently on trial has two houses linked to him in Abu Dhabi.
Former minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke has several businesses linked to her in the UAE.
It was gathered that President Buhari given Nigerian diplomats in the UAE up till the end of March 2016 to compile a list of politically exposed Nigerians who owns properties in the country.
This according to a source is to enable the government determine those that were acquired with public funds with a view to confiscating them.
Some ex-officials are reported to have started making frantic efforts to either escape from that country or relocate their slush funds out of the reach of the government.
Having become a Mecca for Nigeria’s wealthy who are drawn by the expensive high rise properties, glitzy malls and ritzy hotels in the oil-rich country, the president had during his visit to UAE few days ago signed the agreement with the UAE government.
Under the agreement, the government can now actively demand the repatriation of funds hidden or invested in banks and real estates in the country as well as demand the extradition of other Nigerian fugitives residing in the country.
The UAE has become a Mecca for Nigeria’s wealthy who are drawn by the expensive high rise properties, glitzy malls and ritzy hotels in the oil-rich country.
A report by Premium Times quoted a security source as saying that at least $200 billion allegedly stolen from the country’s treasury by former government officials is believed to have been stashed in banks and invested in properties in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, two of UAE’s most prominent cities.
