Minister gives breakdown of 55 people who stole N1.34trn

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, revealed that 15 ex-Governors and 40 other Nigerians stole N1.34trn in eight years.

Punch Newspapers reports that the minister said this while holding a press conference on the National Sensitisation Campaign against Corruption.

He said “The situation is dire and the time to act is now. Between 2006 and 2013, just 55 people allegedly stole a total of N1.34tn in Nigeria. That’s more than a quarter of last year’s national budget.

“Out of the stolen funds, 15 former governors allegedly stole N146.84bn; four former ministers allegedly stole N7.05bn; five former legislators allegedly stole N8.35bn; 12 former public servants, both at federal and state levels, allegedly stole over N14.18bn; eight people in the banking industry allegedly stole N524bn; while 11 businessmen allegedly stole N653bn.”

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Adding that “This is the money that a few people, just 55 in number, allegedly stole within a period of just eight years. And instead of a national outrage, all we hear are these nonsensical statements that the government is fighting only the opposition or that the government is engaging in vendetta.”

Speaking on the ongoing probe into the alleged $2.1b arms purchase scam, Mohammed frowned at the situation where people divert public funds for personal use, adding that anyone involved in corruption will not go scot-free.