Buhari's anti-corruption war is an anti-graft war declared by Muhammadu Buhari, the 6th democratic President of Nigeria. This is a war against all forms of corruption in Nigeria. During the president's election campaign in 2015, he vowed to fight against corruption and insecurity if elected. Since his election in April 2015, anti-graft war remain one of his topmost priority. The anti-graft war was endorsed by the President of the United States. The United States Secretary of State, John Kerry at the World Economic Forum held at Davos in Switzerland extolled Buhari's anti-graft war. In October 2015, the United Kingdom pledge her support for Buhari's anti-corruption war. According to Grant Shapps, the minister for international development, "UK is fully committed to helping Nigeria increase its security, stability and prosperity. "We would continue to provide capacity building, technical and investigative support to Nigeria to tackle corruption. Corruption in Nigeria also affects the UK directly. Where we have evidence, we will continue to take action to protect the integrity of the UK's financial system and prevent. Some Nigerian described the war as "perfect" while others described it as "selective". William Kumuyi, the founder and general overseer of Deeper Christian Life Ministry described Buhari's anti-corruption war as a step in right direction. However, the president has been criticized and accused of leading a selective war against corruption. Several people claimed that his war against corruption focus on members of the opposition party, the People's Democratic Party.
In May 2018, the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced that 603 Nigerian figures had been convicted on corruption charges since Buhari took office in 2015. The EFCC also announced that for the first time in Nigeria's history, judges and top military officers including retired service chiefs are being prosecuted for corruption. The successful prosecutions were also credited to EFCC head Ibrahim Magu Under Buhari, Chief Justice of the Nigerian Court Walter Onnoghen was convicted by the Code of Conduct Tribunal on April 18, 2019 for false assets declaration. and accused Federal High Court Judge Adeniyi Ademola resigned involuntarily in December 2017 In December 2019, the country's controversial ex-Attorney General Mohammed Adoke, who was accused of being bribed to grant oil licenses to Shell, was extradited to back Nigeria from Dubai and was immediately arrested.
In May 2020, it was revealed that Chinese construction entrepreneurs Meng Wei Kun and Xu Koi were arrested in Sokoto State on corruption charges involving bribes to former government officials in Zamfara State. Magu would also be arrested in July 2020 on corruption charges as well. In December 2020, former Pension Reform Taskforce head Abdulrasheed Maina, who was arrested in the neighboring country of Niger after jumping bail, appeared in a Abuja court on a 12-count charge of fraud and money laundering. An accomplice Ali Ndume, a senator representing Borno South, was arrested after jumping bail as well.
Criticisms
On 24 January 2016, Chief Olu Falae, a prominent Nigerian politician and former secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria said "Buhari's anti-corruption war is selective and getting out of hand". Olu falae was named as one of the beneficiaries of the controversial $2 billion arms deal, an allegation he refuted in an exclusive interview with The Punch.
On 24 August 2015, Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa, a former governor of Kaduna State challenged President Muhammadu to probe his military regime between 1983 and 1985 if he is really serious about anti-corruption war. He accused the president of violation of federal character law. On 8 February 2016, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State and former minister of state for education in the Cabinet of President Goodluck Jonathan accused the president of bias in his anti-corruption war. He said he would rather fight corruption in his own way than to support Muhammadu Buhari's anti-corruption war. On 27 September 2015, Dr. Frederick Fasehun, the founder of Oodua Peoples Congress advised the president to shun selective justice and focus on good governance. On 21 January 2016, Fasheun urged the president to slow down in his fight against corruption saying that the government may run into problems in the way the anti-graft war is being handled by the president. He strongly condemned the handcuffing of Chief Olisa Metuh, the National Publicity Secretary of the People's Democratic Party. He described it as unhealthy for Nigeria.