The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) has refuted recent media reports alleging that a U.S. District Court authorized the seizure of $21 million from Nigeria’s account with JP Morgan.

The Ministry of Justice, in a press release on Wednesday, set the record straight, dismissing the claims made in an article published by Peoples Gazette and other outlets.

According to the ministry, these publications erroneously stated that a U.S. court had authorized one Louis E. Williams to seize Nigerian funds.

The AGF clarified that this follows a similarly misleading report from “Peoples Gazette” on August 21, 2023, which falsely claimed that a UK court had authorized the seizure of $21 million from Nigeria’s Central Bank account with JP Morgan in New York. None of the media outlets sought the federal government’s response before publishing the stories.

The ministry stated that at no point did the U.S. District Court issue an order to seize Nigerian government funds held by JP Morgan. Rather, the court’s decision on 12 August 2024 was merely procedural, rejecting Nigeria’s preliminary motion to dismiss the case based on sovereign immunity grounds. The case will now proceed to a substantive hearing where both parties will present evidence.

The statement further said Nigeria has already filed an appeal against the court’s interlocutory ruling and remains confident in its legal defenses.

The AGF said that Nigeria has launched robust legal challenges against Williams’ claims, including fraud proceedings against him in both the U.K. and U.S., expressing optimism that these attempts to coerce the government will ultimately fail.

Fagbemi reassured the public of the government’s commitment to defending Nigeria’s interests and dismissing these claims as baseless.