ABUJA — Former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai (retd.), has dismissed long-standing allegations surrounding the $1 billion approved for defence procurement during his tenure, clarifying that the entire sum was disbursed directly to the Ministry of Defence and never passed through the accounts of the service branches.
Speaking at an event organized by the Defence Correspondents Association of Nigeria in Abuja on Monday, October 12, 2026, the former army chief described accusations of diversion as political and malicious narratives that originated during the 2019 election cycle.
Buratai explained that the $1 billion security fund, which was approved by the National Economic Council to boost military hardware and supplies, was managed and executed entirely by the Ministry of Defence.
He faulted the Ministry of Defence for failing to publicly clarify how the procurement funds were disbursed and contracts awarded at the time, noting that institutional silence allowed reputational damage to linger over service commanders.
To restore public confidence in military spending, Buratai called for the establishment of a Defence Procurement Transparency Portal to track non-sensitive contract metrics, while advocating for quarterly accountability bulletins to address operational conduct and human rights compliance within the armed forces.
