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October 17, 2005
Nigeria warns 'corrupt' governors
Nigeria's leading anti-corruption investigator says his agency is pursuing certain state governors who have been "stealing with impunity". Nigeria's 36 state governors are immune from prosecution while in office.
But Economic and Financial Crimes Commission head Nuhu Ribadu told the BBC his agency and the government were very serious about tackling fraud.
He refused to name any state governors under investigation, or to indicate how many were suspected of wrongdoing.
Mr Ribadu said that many state governors had failed to grasp that Nigeria, viewed as one of the world's most corrupt countries, was changing.
"Whoever is stealing is definitely being pursued," he told the BBC's Network Africa.
"We believe there are a lot of them out there who are still not getting the message. People are used to stealing with impunity."
Help
Earlier this week, Mr Ribadu said he was seeking international help to return to Nigeria billions of dollars allegedly stolen by governors.
Two of Nigeria's current state governors face legal proceedings in the UK, after being found with large amounts of cash in their possession.
Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha is currently being held in the UK, charged with laundering £1.8m ($3.2m) found in cash and in bank accounts.
Last year, another Nigerian state governor, Joshua Dariye of Plateau State, skipped bail after being quizzed by police on money laundering allegations involving more than £1m ($1.7m).
President Olusugun Obasanjo set up the EFCC after his election in 1999.
Although a number of senior officials have been put under investigation for alleged corruption, there has not been any significant conviction during his six years in power.
Posted by Publisher at October 17, 2005 01:29 PM
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