Former Nigerian governor, ruling party member, accused of embezzling $100M from government

Nigerian politician accused of embezzling $100M

LAGOS, Nigeria — A former Nigerian state governor who serves as ranking member of the nation’s ruling party was arrested for allegedly embezzling $100 million of government money meant for public projects, an anti-corruption official said Tuesday.

Agents from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrested Abdullahi Adamu on Monday after a more than yearlong investigation, agency spokesman Femi Babafemi said. Agents seized Adamu’s passports and have asked him for his personal financial records to try and find the money they claim he stole, Babafemi said.

Adamu served as governor of Nasarawa state, located just east of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. While governor under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, anti-corruption officials believe Adamu stole money from unfinished construction projects funded through his state’s budget, Babafemi said.

Those projects included roads, schools, hospitals and markets, the spokesman said.

“This year, 2010, is going to be a tough one for the corrupt in the country,” Babafemi said.

Babafemi said Adamu was cooperating with investigators and had yet to hire a lawyer. An initial court date over his arrest has not been set.

Adamu also serves as secretary to the board of trustees of the People’s Democratic Party, Nigeria’s ruling political party. PDP spokesman Rufai Ahmed Alkali declined to say whether the party would ask Adamu to step down over the allegations.

“This happened while he was governor, not while he was the secretary,” Alkali said. He declined to comment further.

Under Nigeria’s federal system, states receive large shares of the nation’s oil revenues and have budgets rivaling those of other African nations. Those budgets can prove to be tempting targets for graft in Nigeria, a West African nation consistently ranked as having one of the most corrupt governments in the world. However, state governors remain immune from prosecution while holding office.

Adamu’s arrest marks the first high-profile case brought for some time by the anti-corruption commission. Many other court cases accusing state governors and other leaders of corruption have stalled in courts, despite a promise by President Umaru Yar’Adua to crack down on lawbreakers. Acting President Goodluck Jonathan also has promised to crack down on the nation’s endemic culture of corruption, which cascades down from the highest levels of power to traffic wardens on busy street corners.