Nigerian Govt Denies Allegations of $21m Seizure by US Court

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has categorically denied claims that a United States District Court granted permission to Louis E. Williams to seize $21 million from Nigeria’s account with JP Morgan.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Fagbemi clarified that the false reports originated from an unidentified online platform, not EKO HOT BLOG, and were entirely unfounded.

The Ministry of Justice criticized these media outlets for failing to reach out to the ministry for clarification before publishing the claims.

Fagbemi challenged the media organizations to provide any official U.S. court order authorizing the alleged seizure, reaffirming the ministry’s commitment to transparency and accurate reporting.

The statement read: “The ministry wishes to correct the misleading publication by Peoples Gazette and other outlets alleging that a U.S. District Court has authorized Louis E. Williams to seize $21 million from Nigeria’s account with JP Morgan.

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“This follows a similarly inaccurate publication by Peoples Gazette on August 21, 2023, titled, ‘UK Court authorizes SSS victim Williams Emovbira to seize $21 million from CBN account with JP Morgan in New York.’

“None of the media outlets that syndicated this story sought the Nigerian government’s reaction. The ministry challenges these outlets to publish a copy of the U.S. court order authorizing such a seizure.”

The statement clarified that the U.S. District Court had not authorized the seizure of Nigerian government funds in JP Morgan’s custody. The court had only denied Nigeria’s preliminary motion to dismiss the complaint on sovereign immunity grounds.

The ministry also stated that the case will now proceed to a substantive hearing.

Williams Emovbira, a British-Nigerian businessman, had earlier claimed that he was mistreated and defrauded by Nigerian intelligence in the 1980s, seeking $21 million in damages from Nigeria’s JP Morgan account.

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Addressing the case, the Justice Ministry noted, “The ruling on August 21, 2024, means the case will now move forward to a substantive hearing, where both parties will present their evidence and legal arguments for the court’s final decision.”

The statement further confirmed that Nigeria has appealed the court’s interlocutory decision and has launched legal defenses in both UK and U.S. courts, confident that Williams’ claims will ultimately fail.

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