Nigeria's ex-junior finance minister charged with corruption

 

Nigeria's former junior finance minister Bashir Yuguda was Tuesday charged with five others for allegedly misappropriating funds meant to purchase weapons to fight the Boko Haram insurgency in the restive northeast.

Yuguda who served under the regime of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan was arraigned on a 22-count charge along with former Sokoto state governor Attahiru Bafawara and his son, Sagir Attahiru.

The former national security adviser Sambo Dasuki and his finance director, Shuaibu Salisu, facing similar charges in another court, were also in the dock on Tuesday.

The former junior minister and five others were accused of receiving a huge some of money from Dasuki as "payment for the supply of security equipment" but diverted the money to fund the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party's presidential campaigns in March.

Jonathan lost the vote to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges and the court adjourned further hearing to Wednesday.

The case is one of a series of high-profile trials by the Buhari administration to recover billions of dollars in state funds allegedly misappropriated under the cover of fighting the Boko Haram insurgency.

The violence has killed at least 17,000 people and displaced some 2.6 million since 2009.