According to the national anti-graft agency, the chief of Nigeria’s treasury has been arrested for alleged involvement in fraud and money laundering involving 80 billion nairas (€184 million).
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria’s accountant-general, Ahmed Idris, was arrested on Monday “after failing to honor invitations” to reply to the allegations.
He is accused of money laundering and fraud.
Idris “extracted monies through false consultancy firms and other illicit activities utilizing agents, family members, and close allies,” according to the EFCC.
According to the Commission, Idris invested the monies in real estate in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, and Kano, his home state in northern Nigeria. Ahmed Idris remained silent about the allegations.
President Muhammadu Buhari, a former army commander, was elected in 2015 on a platform of fighting corruption in Nigeria, the continent’s largest oil producer.
The EFCC has achieved a number of high-profile convictions under his leadership, including ministers, state governors, senior civil servants, and notable politicians.
The commission announced last year that it had recovered approximately $750 million (€714 million).
Critics, on the other hand, accuse the EFCC, which was established in 2003, of launching a witch hunt against the president’s opponents.
