The United Kingdom has returned to the Federal Government of Nigeria a sum of 4.8 million euros seized from the British accounts of a former Nigerian governor of the delta state (South), a region rich in oil, convicted of corruption by a London court.

The returned sum had been embezzled by James Ibori, Governor of Delta State, between 1999 and 2007, according to the judgment of a British court, and had been recovered by financial agencies.  hijacked ," Nigeria's Ministry of Justice said in a statement.

James Ibori used public funds to buy residences, luxury cars and a private jet, according to British courts. He was jailed in April 2012 for embezzling nearly £50 million (€62 million at the time) after a lengthy extradition process, then released on bail in December 2016 in London. His case had been seen as emblematic in the fight against high-level corruption in Nigeria, with billions of pounds sent to the UK every year.