The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project( SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and appropriate anti-corruption agencies to promptly probe allegations that over N57 billion of public funds are missing, diverted or stolen from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in 2021 alone.
SERAP further called for probe of hundreds of billions of naira that are also reportedly missing in other ministries, departments and agencies [MDAs].
The body made the call in a statement made available to media houses, on Monday.
According to the statement, these damning revelations are documented in the 2021 audited report released last week by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
It said, “Anyone suspected to be responsible should face prosecution as appropriate, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, and any missing public funds should be fully recovered and remitted to the treasury”.
It urged the President to use any recovered stolen funds to fund the deficit in the 2025 budget, and to issue an immediate moratorium on borrowing by the Federal Government to ease Nigeria’s crippling debt crisis.
“The allegations amount to stealing from the poor. There is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these grave allegations.
“The allegations also suggest a grave violation of the public trust, the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended), the country’s anti-corruption legislation and international anticorruption obligations”, the statement noted.
