Nigeria’s accountant-general arrested on corruption charges

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s financial crimes agency has arrested the country’s accountant-general, accusing him of diverting government funds worth $192.4 million. Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said in a statement Monday that Ahmed Idris was arrested after failing to answer its requests for him to respond to the allegations. The agency said its intelligence showed that the accountant-general “raked off the funds through bogus consultancies and other illegal activities using proxies, family members and close associates.” Prosecutors said the accountant-general allegedly laundered the funds through real estate investments. He has not yet been charged in court. Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy but its development has been hampered by endemic corruption.