Nigeria demands stolen assets back from Britain

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari demanded on May 11 that Britain return assets held by corrupt Nigerians after British Prime Minister David Cameron was caught on camera saying that Nigeria was “fantastically corrupt”.

As reported by the BBC, Cameron’s remarks, which were made during a conversation with Queen Elizabeth on May 10, have so far dominated the build-up to a global anti-corruption summit he is hosting on May 12. Cameron was heard saying that Nigeria and Afghanistan were “possibly two of the most corrupt countries in the world”.

Buhari, who will attend the summit, told reporters in London during a pre-summit event that he would not demand an apology.

“What I am demanding is the return of assets,” Buhari said. “What would I do with an apology? I need something tangible,” he added, rubbing his fingers together in a gesture commonly used to refer to money. The audience laughed.

According to the BBC, Buhari has a reputation for personal probity and has pledged to crack down on corruption in Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer and most populous nation where generations of politicians have looted public coffers for their personal gain.

In an interview with the BBC, Buhari said what the new Nigerian government found when it came to power proved Cameron was right. “He was telling the truth. He was talking about what he knew,” he said.

“Nigerian crude oil is being stolen on an industrial scale and exported, with the proceeds laundered through world financial centres by transnational organised criminals,” he said.