The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami Monday says the ministry of justice should be “allocated” funds from recovered loot to finance “recovery operations” of the ministry.

“Presently, we are making efforts to ensure that we are allocated some cost of collection from recovered funds to finance our recovery operations,” Mr Malami said.

More funding will enable recovery of “large sums of illicit money stashed abroad,” Mr Malami told House of Representatives Committee on Justice, while defending his ministry’s proposed 2022 budget on Monday.

He further said “The justice sector as presently constituted is bedevilled by funding inadequacies, too much for our comfort.

“Lamentably, however, practically all the parastatals under the purview of the federal ministry of justice are in dire need of funding.

“For me, this is as dangerous as it is disturbing because funding gaps in the face of competing challenges could endanger the effective administration of justice, and cause an unwarranted travesty of justice,” he added.

Mr Malami’s request for allocation of fund from recovered loot comes amid calls for accountability and transparency in the management of recovered loots and assets.

In August, 36 state governments sued the federal government for illegal diversion of over N1.8 trillion recovered loot, also alleging the diversion of N450 billion worth of non-cash assets by the federal government.