Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the arrest of the military officer, with his adviser saying "thousands" of deaths could have been prevented if the money had been spent to fight Boko Haram.
The Nigerian government ordered the arrest of retired Col. Sambo Dasuki on charges he allegedly stole more than $2 billion meant for defense procurements. Photo courtesy of Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House/Wikimedia
ABUJA, Nigeria, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- The president of Nigeria ordered the arrest of a military officer for stealing more than $2 billion slated to be used to fight Boko Haram, an Islamist extremist group.
Retired Col. Sambo Dasuki, 61,
national security adviser to former Nigerian PresidentGoodluck Jonathan, is accused of awarding phantom contracts to buy four fighter jets, 12 helicopters and assorted ammunition destined for the fight against Boko Haram. The "failed contracts" amounted to nearly $2.4 billion.
Dasuki denied the charges. He was already under house arrest accused of possessing illegal weapons when the allegations were announced Tuesday.
Dasuki's arrest came about as the result of an investigation by a 13-person committee established by Buhari, who campaigned on promises to root out corruption that flourished under the previous administration.
Nigerian soldiers have reported they were ill-equipped to fight the terror group despite a large defense budget. A spokesman for Buhari said the corruption in the Nigerian military has been responsible for the needless deaths of thousands of citizens as the army attempts to rid the country of Boko Haram insurgents.
Boko Haram has waged a violent campaign to establish an Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria. At least 32 people were killed Tuesday when a suicide bomber attacked a vegetable market in the city of Yola.
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