ABUJA: Nigeria has accused 300 firms and individuals,
including army officers, of embezzling 48 billion naira (170.9 million
pounds) through overpaid defence contracts or fraud, the presidency said
on Thursday in a widening a crackdown on graft.
President Muhammadu Buhari was elected a year ago on a
pledge to root out endemic corruption that has held most of the 180
million Nigerians in poverty despite the country's enormous oil wealth.
The former military ruler has fired or investigated dozens
of officials serving under his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, and
ordered an audit of key government bodies such as state oil firm NNPC.
"A committee set up to probe contracts awarded by the Office
of the National Security Adviser from 2011 to 2015 has indicted more
than 300 companies and prominent citizens including serving and retired
officers of the armed forces," the presidency said in a statement.
The companies and individuals, some of which were listed in
the statement, had repaid more than 7 billion naira to the state and
were expected to return a further 41 billion naira, the statement said.
"Several contractors were apparently overpaid, while others
were given full upfront payments contrary to their contract terms and
agreements in force," it said.
Another firm had been given 7.9 million euros (US$8.83
million) and US$7.09 million in overpaid contracts, according to the
statement.
One of those indicted was Sambo Dasuki, Jonathan's security adviser, the first former official put on trial for graft.
A similar committee has accused Dasuki of fraud involving
US$68 million of defence spending, part of a wider US$2.1 billion in
arms deals that are under scrutiny. He has denied the charges.
Jonathan's supporters deny that corruption spiked during his
presidency and say Buhari is conducting a witch-hunt against members of
the former president's People's Democratic Party.
(Reporting by Felix Onuah and Ulf Laessing; Editing by Tom Brown and Peter Cooney)
- Reuters
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