Ex-Nigeria govt. stole$15bn from arms deals:vice president

Nigeria Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says about
$15 billion of public money was stolen under the
previous government through fraudulent arms
deals.Osinbajo

said in a statement that the money was
“lost… to fraudulent and corrupt practices in…
security equipment spending during the last
administration.”
"It is important to send a message that no public
officer can steal the resources of this country and
expect to escape," he said, adding, “Society fails
when the elite abdicates its role. ”
The vice president noted that the huge sum is
equivalent to about half of the country’s foreign
exchange reserves of $27 billion.
President Muhammadu Buhari came to office in
May 2015 on the pledge of fighting corruption and
impunity in the government.
Several allies of former president Goodluck
Jonathan have been tried after being accused of
awarding fake arms deals worth $2bn. They,
however, have denied such allegations.
The most senior figure arrested and charged is
former national security advisor Sambo Dasuki. He
is accused of diverting money assigned for military
deals to fund the former president’s election
campaign.
A former defense chief, Alex Badeh, is also
accused of diverting $19.8 million from the
personnel’s salaries for his own use.
Buhari has frequently said that he inherited an
“empty treasury” when he took office.
The president’s critics, however, accused him of
launching a witch-hunt against previous
government officials.
Thousands of people and soldiers have been killed
in north-eastern Nigeria in clashes with Boko
Haram Takfiri militants over the past few years.
When Jonathan was in power, soldiers reportedly
complained about not having enough equipment
despite the army’s huge budget.