Former Nigerian Delta State governor James Ibori released from UK prison

Former governor of Nigeria's Delta State, who was serving prison time in London on money laundering and fraud charges, has been released. James Ibori was arrested in Dubai in 2010, after the UK had issued an arrest warrant.

He was accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of stealing at least $250m (£202m) from Nigeria's public funds

Ibori was sentenced to 13 years in jail in 2012 after pleading guilty to at least 10 counts of money laundering and fraud.

Ibori, 57, was released on 21 December 2016, the Vanguard newspaper reported. It is not yet clear whether he would return to Nigeria.

Tony Elumenor, his media aide, also confirmed his release.

Nigeria's current President, Muhammadu Buhari, vowed he would eradicate corruption after taking office in May 2015.

Among other things, Buhari has sought the help of several countries, including the UK, the US and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to locate and repatriate embezzled Nigerian funds reinvested outside the African nation.

In an exclusive report by IBTimes UK, members of Security in Africa and Potent Communications warned that Nigerian stolen funds repatriated to the African nation risk being embezzled again, making corruption a vicious circle difficult to break.

In September, the UK and Nigeria signed an agreement on returning stolen assets. Both parties committed to ensuring "that returned assets are not at risk of being misappropriated again."