Adedokun Waliyu 
The US is inching closer to an agreement with Ibrahim Bagudu to resolve a court case about the $140 million that the American investigators say was stolen and laundered by Kebbi State Governor Abubakar Bagudu, court papers obtained by PREMIUM TIMES show.
The US Department of Justice (USDOJ) and Mr Bagudu’s brother, Ibrahim, who is the main claimant in the case, applied on Wednesday to suspend the case that is ongoing in a federal court in Washington. The two parties agreed on an out-of-court settlement and believe a short period will allow them “to reach a final agreement resolving the litigation,” according to court documents.
Mr Bagudu’s chief press secretary, Muazu Dakingari, did not answer calls or reply to a text message seeking his comment on Saturday.
Before venturing into politics first as a senator and now governor, Mr Bagudu was a bagman for late dictator Sani Abacha, helping the kleptocrat who died in 1998 to launder billions of dollars stolen from Nigeria.
In a joint motion to the U.S. District Court of Columbia, the parties requested a stay from 3rd August to at least 9th November 2022.
The presiding judge, John Bates, accepted their request but ordered the parties to provide an update on the negotiation by 2nd November detailing “whether a final settlement has been achieved, or a further stay of the litigation is warranted due to the parties’ significant progress in finalizing the settlement, or that the parties were unable to finalize the settlement and the litigation should resume.”
