Nigeria seeks help to recover $320M

LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the World Bank to help Africa’s largest economy recover $320 million stolen and hidden in Swiss bank accounts by late military dictator Sani Abacha.

Buhari made the appeal during a visit by the World Bank Group Chief Operating Officer Sri Mulyani Indrawati to the Nigerian capital, Abuja, according to a statement released by the president’s office. Authorities in Switzerland have agreed to return the funds on the condition that they are used for social programs in Nigeria monitored by the World Bank, according to the statement.

Buhari’s administration, which took office last year on an anti-corruption platform, has faced a cash crunch because of the falling price of oil.