The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has denied reports that a US District Court authorised Louis E. Williams to seize $21 million from Nigeria’s account with JP Morgan.

The denial was included in a statement released on Wednesday through the Ministry of Justice and signed by the AGF; it explained that the claim, which was part of a publication on an online news platform, was false.

The AGF noted that the media failed in its reportage by failing to contact the ministry for its response before the publication of the report. The AGF challenged the media organization to provide a copy of any US Court order related to the alleged seizure.

The ministry noted that the US District Court has not authorised any seizure of Nigerian government funds.

The Ministry noted that it was necessary to categorically state that an inaccurate publication by Peoples Gazette and others, alleging that a US District Court has authorised a certain Louis E. Williams to seize $21 million from Nigeria’s account with JP Morgan.
The statement noted that the report presented a high level of inaccuracy, and it was published on the Peoples Gazette website on 21 August 2023. According to the statement, the report was titled UK Court authorises SSS victim Williams Emovbira to seize $21 million from CBN account with JP Morgan in New York. The ministry noted that all the media organizations that circulated the report failed to seek the consent of the ministry on the allegations. The statement noted that the media outlets were challenged to publish the copy of the US Court order authorising the said seizure.

The statement noted that the ministry also clarified that at no time did the US District Court authorise the seizure of funds belonging to the Nigerian Government held by JP Morgan. It was explained that the court only refused Nigeria’s preliminary motion to dismiss the complaint against her on the grounds of sovereign immunity.

The ministry disclosed that the Nigerian government has launched robust legal defences in the UK and US courts against the claims made by Williams, which includes launching fraud proceedings against him. It also noted that the Nigerian government remains confident and optimistic that his attempts to strong-arm the government will fail.