US federal agents have raided the home of a Nigerian minister once sought by Jersey’s Attorney General on money laundering charges.

Agents raided the Maryland home of Nigerian vice-president Atiku Abubakar on 3 August, but the raid is not linked to any local investigation.

A spokesman for the Law Officers’ Department said that they were not aware of the raid and not directly involved in it.

However, he would not comment on how interested the Island authorities still are in Mr Abubakar.

In 2003, Jersey’s Attorney General William Bailhache dropped extradition proceedings against Mr Abubakar in favour of a prosecution in his home country.

As part of the deal, US$163m that was frozen in Jersey bank accounts by the Attorney-General was returned to the Nigerian government.

Three months later, the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Olusangun Obasanjo, wrote to Mr Bailhache, thanking him for all the Island had done to help them.