Buratai faults Defence Ministry over silence on $1bn arms funds
Former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai (retd.), has faulted the Ministry of Defence for failing to publicly explain how the $1bn approved for defence procurement during his tenure was disbursed, saying the silence allowed allegations surrounding the funds to persist while service chiefs faced criticism.
Buratai spoke on Monday at the Defence Correspondents Association of Nigeria conference in Abuja, describing the allegations as “political and malicious”. He said the National Economic Council approved the money, while the Ministry of Defence handled the procurement process.
He said the controversy emerged during the 2019 election period, when the opposition alleged that the funds had been diverted for electoral purposes. According to him, although the Federal Government refuted the claims, the allegations continued to affect the reputation of service chiefs.
Buratai maintained that the money did not pass through him or the accounts of the Nigerian Army, Navy or Air Force, insisting that the ministry responsible for managing the funds should account for their disbursement and the contracts awarded.
“The Ministry of Defence must own procurement records. The $1 billion arms procurement controversy festered because the institution that managed the funds — the Ministry of Defence — remained silent while Service Chiefs absorbed criticism,” he said.
The retired army chief called for the establishment of a Defence Procurement Transparency Portal to publish information on contracts, contractors and delivery timelines, subject to national security considerations. He also proposed quarterly accountability bulletins on court-martial outcomes involving human rights violations and operational conduct.
On human rights allegations against security personnel, Buratai said credible claims should be investigated and, where substantiated, prosecuted. He stressed that the military was not above the law and called for improved communication to address public concerns about security operations.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, represented by the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Jibrin Ndace, said Nigeria’s security challenges required more than military force. He called for better intelligence, modern technology and stronger collaboration among security agencies and communities, adding that President Bola Tinubu had directed the preparation of a National Threat Assessment and a five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan in August 2026.
