Talks have been concluded, and follow up actions have begun by both the government of Nigeria and that of the United States of America on tracing, retrieval and repatriation back to Nigeria of public funds stolen by politicians. A bilateral arrangement entered into on behalf of the Nigerian government by the country’s Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC with appropriate agencies of the U.S is ensuring that Billions of Nigerian money stolen and illegally banked offshore in the United States would now be recovered and wired back into the coffers of the Nigerian Government.

The U.S is also said to be lobbying its European Union, EU allies to join in the initiative aimed at assisting Nigeria to successfully recover its looted fortunes.

Families, friends and associates of any indicted Nigerian politicians residing in the United States are going to be under close monitor with their financial dealings under watch, pointblaknews.com learnt authoritatively.

This development is coming barely a week after the United States Government unfolded a multi-faceted strategy to assist in combating money laundering and illicit drug trafficking.

Pointblanknews.com learnt that the U.S Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Jendayi Frazer had held talks with President Umaru Yar’Adua in Abuja during the inauguration ceremony. Even before President Yar’Adua got elected, there were several high level contacts and protocol signing expressing the two countries commitment to trace and bring back to Nigeria every dime stolen by greedy public servants and politicians.

The czar of the EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, is one of those prominent top level functionaries that have periodically shown up in the U.S. The U.S was said to have pledged logistic support to Abuja especially in the area of fighting corruption.

Expectedly Washington which has an impressive tracking and blocking of international money laundering activities would be placing at the disposal of Nigeria that vast wealth of experience if Nigeria’s situation does not defy proven logic. Whatever people like the late General Sani Abacha, late Sunday Afolabi, Diepreye Alamieyesiegha, Ayo Fayose, Orji Uzor Kalu, Samuni Turaki, Lucky Igbinedion, James Ibori, Peter Odili, Jolly Nyame, Joshua Dariye, Bola Tinubu, Bukola Saraki among others have stashed abroad would now be coming back to Nigeria.

The U.S social security administration rule makes it less cumbersome to investigate and determine the activities of every individual living or doing business within the country. Therefore, relations, associates and business partners who could be established as having anything to do with the indicted Nigerian politicians would now be under the radar.

The extent and pattern of moving the huge lodging especially through certain leading Nigerian banks and their receiving foreign partners would now be determined and scrutinized more than ever before. Source hinted Pointblanknews.com that banks found unscrupulous would not be spared the big stick. For example, the UBA PLC was recently fined $5.3 Million by the U.S department of treasury for related breach.

There would be many obstacles to over come in order for the bilateral war to succeed. One would be entrenched protectionism enjoyed by many of the indicted officials. Nigeria’s new Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan is the subject of present speculation to work out a laughable plea bargain for disgrace ex-Governor Alamieyesiegha.

Alamieyesiegha was said to have been secretly brought from detention to meet with Vice-President Jonathan at the Dodan Barracks, (seat of Nigeria’s former successive military regimes notorious for subverting democracy.), Lagos. At that meeting Jonathan was said to have assured Alamieyesiegha that something was being worked out to get him off the hook but that his former boss should be willing to plead guilty of charges ranging from converting about £241 Million (N60.7 Billion) and abuse of office. In return Alamieyesiegha would now be given a laughable short term of imprisonment that would as in the case of former Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun possibly deductible from the number of days he has already spent in detention. Off course Nigerians are bound to cry foul again.

Nigeria remains a nation where inequality is so obvious and executive thieves stealing mega billions are always exercising authority and judgment over petty thieves and other ignoramuses. For instance the man popularly called the “fake Taliban” Ahmed Sanni Yerima, former Governor of Zamfara State who introduced the Sharia penal code as a tool of political wedge and division roams free even after he had been indicted for misappropriating and embezzling huge sums of money. This was the same man that ordered a cruel and crude amputation of the hand of a bicycle thief. So to make the new pact with America workable would Nigerian Government be willing to allow America to use the same paradigm of equality before the law that makes its democracy admirable to all and all in prosecuting the war against money laundering.