The National Crime Agency (NCA) in the UK says it has recovered $23,439,724.98 loot believed to have been siphoned out of Nigeria in the 1990s by the associates and family of former Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

According to a communique issued by the agency on Thursday, the funds formed part of a larger pool of monies identified by the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) as having been misappropriated by Abacha and his allies.

The NCA revealed that the funds have now been transferred to the Home Office for onward transmission to the USDOJ.

It also pursued nearly seven years of protracted litigation and international negotiation to obtain the recovery order, to enforce the U.S. forfeiture order relating to the recovered monies.

Asset Denial Senior Manager at the NCA, Billy Beattie, assured of the agency’s fight against money laundering activities within the UK.

“The NCA is committed to ensuring that the UK is not a safe haven for criminals to launder their proceeds of crime, and the civil recovery of assets is a powerful weapon in this fight,” Beatie stated.

“We work closely with the UK and international partners to tackle the threat posed by corruption, which disproportionately impacts the poorest and most vulnerable members of society.

“We are committed to ensuring that those who perpetrate corruption do not benefit from their actions.”

The NCA case is ongoing with further monies having been identified by the USDOJ as having also been misappropriated by Abacha and his associates.