The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has dismissed claims that a U.S. District Court authorized the seizure of $21 million from Nigeria’s account at JP Morgan by Louis E. Williams.
In a statement released by the Ministry of Justice, Fagbemi clarified that reports originating from an online media platform (not The PUNCH) regarding the alleged court order are entirely false. The statement criticized these reports for neglecting to seek the ministry’s response and challenged media outlets to produce any official U.S. court order related to the supposed seizure.
“The ministry wishes to correct the misinformation regarding the publication by Peoples Gazette and others, which claims a U.S. District Court has granted Louis E. Williams the authority to seize $21 million from Nigeria’s JP Morgan account,” the statement said. It noted similar inaccuracies published by Peoples Gazette on August 21, 2023, concerning a UK court.
The Ministry emphasized that at no point did the U.S. District Court approve the seizure of Nigerian government funds. The court only declined Nigeria’s preliminary motion to dismiss the complaint on grounds of sovereign immunity.
According to the statement, the court’s decision on August 21, 2024, allows the case to move forward to a substantive hearing, where both parties will present evidence and legal arguments.
Williams Emovbira, a British-Nigerian businessman, has alleged mistreatment and fraud by Nigeria’s domestic intelligence agency in the 1980s and is seeking a court order to withdraw the $21 million as compensation.
The Justice Ministry added, “The court’s ruling means the case will now proceed on its merits, and Nigeria has filed an appeal against the preliminary decision.”
The Ministry also expressed confidence in Nigeria’s robust legal challenges against Williams’ claims in both UK and U.S. courts, asserting that they believe his attempts to exert pressure on the Nigerian government will ultimately fail.
