$1bn arms fund went to defence ministry, not me — Ex-COAS Buratai
Former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, says the $1bn approved for defence procurement during his tenure was released to the Ministry of Defence. Read More:…
The $1bn arms fund dates back to 2014, when the National Assembly approved the sum, drawn partly from the Excess Crude Account, to help the military tackle the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East. The fund has remained a subject of controversy for years, with successive administrations ordering probes and panels to trace how the money was spent, amid allegations that much of it was diverted rather than used for arms procurement. Tukur Buratai, who served as Chief of Army Staff from 2015 to 2021, has repeatedly featured in public discourse around the fund's disbursement given the timing of his tenure.
Buratai's latest clarification seeks to shift responsibility for the fund's management away from the Army and onto the Ministry of Defence, which he says was the actual recipient of the released funds. Both Punch and Tribune Online report his position in near-identical terms, though neither account details who at the ministry received or disbursed the money, what the funds were meant to purchase, or whether any official response has come from the Ministry of Defence or anti-graft agencies. The claim, if contested, could reopen questions about accountability for one of Nigeria's most scrutinised defence budgets.