Abacha's son fights back

Banks in Switzerland and other European countries have frozen accounts holding money allegedly siphoned away while General Sani Abacha ruled Nigeria from 1993 to his death in 1998.

In July, President Obasanjo announced that a settlement had been reached with the family under which they would keep $100m if they returned $1bn.

But after being released from three years in prison on charges of corruption and money-laundering in September, Mohammed Abacha denied making any such deal.

Speaking to the BBC's Dan Isaacs in his mansion in Kano, northern Nigeria, Mohammed Abacha said that Nigeria did not have the right to take action against his foreign bank accounts.

"My accounts have been frozen illegally," he said.

'Spurious'

Despite being pressed, he steadfastly refused to give any details about the origins of his enormous wealth, beyond denying any wrong-doing.

"I've been a businessman for a long time," he said.

"Give me an idea about what Mohammed Abacha does?" our correspondent asked.

"A wide range of things and we'll leave it like that."

He currently faces some 111 different court cases.

"They are all spurious charges... I believe inshallah (God willing) I will be vindicated in time," he said.

Connections

He said there was nothing wrong in using his family connections to help his mysterious businesses and said that the family of all Nigeria's leaders used their influence to make money.

"The bottom line of the issue is opportunities," he said.

"The best thing for you to do is to find opportunities that you would use. That's how it works here."

Despite his long incarceration, Mr Abacha junior said he was not angry with those who had sent him to prison.

"I don't have any bitterness inside me," he said.

And would he like to see President Olusegun Obasanjo removed from office in next year's elections?

"God Almighty put him there and it is only God Almighty that can determine if he goes on or not."

The Abacha family remains extremely influential in its Kano home-town but Mohammed Abacha said he had no political ambitions to follow in his father's footsteps and become Nigeria's president.

"I just got out of prison recently, just trying to put myself together, organise my family and try to stitch up my family and what we have left of us now."