Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to introduce an amnesty programme that would allow individuals accused of looting public funds to voluntarily return the money without facing prosecution.

Speaking during an interview on News Central TV’s 60 Minutes With Mr Kay, the former Abia State governor proposed a two-year window for former public officials to repatriate stolen funds in exchange for a presidential pardon.

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Kalu argued that billions of naira allegedly hidden in private homes across Abuja remain outside Nigeria’s formal banking system, depriving the economy of much-needed liquidity and investment. According to him, allowing those in possession of such funds to return the money without fear of prosecution would inject significant resources into the economy and support national development.

He suggested that the amnesty should apply regardless of when the funds were allegedly stolen, dating back to Nigeria’s independence in 1960.

The senator urged President Tinubu to consider the proposal in the interest of economic growth, saying those who return the funds should be pardoned rather than prosecuted. He maintained that recovering the money for public use would be more beneficial to the country than leaving it hidden in private residences, where it contributes nothing to economic activity.