SOKOTO, Nigeria
Nigeria’s
former Defense Minister Musiliu Obanikoro, who was being held for his
role in the alleged misappropriation of $2.1 billion funds meant for
military hardware, has been released from detention, an official said
Friday.
“Obanikoro was released this
afternoon after meeting some conditions set out in the administrative
bail granted him over a week ago,” a top source within the country's
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission told Anadolu Agency.
He did not know if Obanikoro would be charged or not but he claimed the former minister had returned some money to the agency.
EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren confirmed Obanikoro’s release.
“Yes,
he has been released. He is on bail,” Uwujaren told Anadolu Agency. He
declined to say whether Obanikoro would be charged in court.
Obanikoro had been taken into custody two weeks back after he arrived in Nigeria from the U.S.
He
is alleged to have misappropriated $15.3 million of the $2.1 billion
funds meant for the purchase of military weapons to fight against Boko
Haram.
He was the defense minister
under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who
incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari insisted had misappropriated funds
budgeted to fight the insurgency in the country's northeast. Failure of
purchase the arms had been blamed for Nigerian troops deserting from war
fronts.
Obanikoro had denied any
wrongdoing but officials alleged he was found to have diverted $15.3
million of the arms fund to execute a political campaign of then ruling
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
EFCC
investigators also claimed to have traced part of the funds to accounts
operated by some children of the former minister, a claim he rejected.
The accounts have been frozen pending the probe.
Several
top officials, including former security adviser to Jonathan, military
chiefs and prominent politicians, were being tried in connection with
the alleged embezzlement case.
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