The UK parliament on Monday November 23, 2020, while debating a petition to impose sanctions on Nigerian Government officials involved in the Lekki shooting incident on October 20, 2020.
The petition suggests the UK Government should consider using the Magnitsky sanctions regime to impose sanctions on those involved in any human rights abuse during the EndSARS protest in the nation.
However during the proceeds a member of the parliament, Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge and Malling), urged the UK government to place sanctions on Nigerians who flee to the UK with ill-gotten wealth. Then he spoke about Nigeria’s former military ruler, Yakubu Gowon’s alleged looting of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
According to him,
“What we are seeing in Nigeria today is part of that story. It is a tragedy we are all witnessing because we see things falling apart.
“The problem this time is not foreign pressure known as colonialism. The pressure instead is corruption and violence and attempts at control (of power).
“We need to call out the corruption, we need to use the powers that we have in this country to stop those who are profiting from the wealth of that great nation and hiding it here.
“Now some people will remember when general Gowon left Nigeria, he took half of the Central Bank, so it is said, and moved to London.
“We know today, even now in this great city of ours, there are sadly some people who have taken the wealth of Nigerian people and hidden their ill-gotten gains here.
“We know that our banks sadly have been used for that profit or that illegal transfer of asset and that means that the UK is in a unique position in being able to actually do something to really exert pressure on those who have robbed Nigerians.”
Watch video below:
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