Return stolen assets

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday urged Britain to return assets stolen by corrupt officials in pointed remarks after Prime Minister David Cameron called his country "fantastically corrupt".

"I am not going to demand any apology from anybody. What I am demanding is the return of the assets," Buhari told an anti-corruption event hosted by the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.

He noted the case of Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, a former governor of oil-rich Bayelsa state who was detained in London on charges of money laundering in 2005, but skipped bail by disguising himself as a woman.

Alamieyeseigha, who died in Nigeria in October, left behind "his bank account and fixed assets, which Britain is prepared to hand over to us. This is what I'm asking for", Buhari said. "What would I do with an apology?" he said.

Cameron is hosting a major anti-corruption summit today, which Buhari is attending alongside Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

Ahead of the talks, Cameron was caught on camera telling Queen Elizabeth II that the leaders of some "fantastically corrupt" countries were attending, adding that Nigeria and Afghanistan were "possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world".

A spokesman for Buhari said the comments were "embarrassing" and reflected "an old snapshot of Nigeria".

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II was caught on camera describing some Chinese officials as "very rude" in a rare diplomatic gaffe by the long-serving British monarch over a state visit that drummed up billions in Chinese investment.

The British monarch never expresses overtly political views in public and is known for her reserve and discretion, never granting an interview in her 64-year reign.