Nigeria has traced its looted funds to some foreign banks, President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday. Buhari has vowed to recover such funds from banks, financial institutions and countries in which payments for stolen crude oil have been deposited. Buhari, who did not name the banks, spoke while receiving visiting United States Congressmen at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, Buhari acknowledged the cooperation his administration was getting from the international community in gathering intelligence for tracing and recovering stolen national resources. He said: “We are getting cooperation from the international community, including information on ships that take crude oil from Nigeria and change direction or pour their contents into other ships mid- stream. “Some monies were paid to individual accounts. We are identifying the financial institutions and countries that are involved. “I have been assured that when we get all our documents together, the United States and other countries will treat our case with sympathy,’’ the President told the Congressmen, who were led by Representative Darrel Issa. He also said that his administration would welcome more regular meetings of the Nigeria-United States Bi-National Commission. President Buhari noted that the Commission could serve as a more useful platform for the promotion of bilateral trade and economic relations as well as joint cooperation in the war against terrorism. Darrel assured President Buhari that the United States will support Nigeria against Boko Haram by providing training, intelligence and military platforms. “We look forward to helping you in many ways to end the Boko Haram insurgency and the theft of crude oil in the Gulf of Guinea,’’ he said. Shortly after meeting the Service Chiefs and Defence ministry officials yesterday, Congressman Darrel Issah told reporters that the U.S. government would soon relax or completely lift the restriction on military assistance imposed on Nigeria under the Leahy Law – a human rights law that prohibits the U.S. Department of State and Department of Defence from providing military assistance to foreign military units that violates human rights with impunity. He said the development was occasioned by the policy of the new military command with regards to the ongoing military operations in the country. “There were a number of things that were discussed at the meeting, but basically the need for additional technical support, including overhead surveillance. This was discussed because it is important in the fight against Boko Haram.

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