“Return Our Stolen Wealth!” — Appeal Court President Demands Swift Repatriation of Looted Funds Warehoused Abroad

The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, has called on the international community and foreign governments to fast-track the repatriation of recovered stolen assets warehoused in their custody, warning that anti-corruption victories remain hollow if recovered funds are not promptly returned to victim nations.

Delivering remarks at the 43rd Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime held at Jesus College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, Justice Dongban-Mensem stressed that asset recovery and cross-border repatriation must go hand in hand to achieve genuine accountability.

According to a statement issued by the Assistant Chief Information Officer of the Court of Appeal, Bukola Garr, the PCA observed that the looting of state treasuries cannot be treated merely as an administrative or balance-sheet infraction. Instead, she described large-scale economic crime as a critical social justice emergency that strips developing societies of life-changing developmental opportunities, degrades essential public infrastructure, and weakens citizens’ trust in governance.

The appellate court head warned that allowing illicit wealth to remain tied up in legal technicalities abroad creates room for dirty money to finance wider criminal networks, secure undue political power, and entrench systemic impunity. She emphasized that the primary takeaway from global anti-financial crime engagements must be an unyielding, collective resolve among nations to make the economic foundations of criminal networks impossible to sustain.

Highlighting the active participation of Nigerian judges, financial intelligence operatives, and law enforcement agencies at the global conference, Justice Dongban-Mensem reaffirmed the nation’s resolve to deepen inter-agency collaboration and cross-border partnerships to track, seize, and return stolen sovereign wealth for the benefit of ordinary citizens.