Nigeria’s spy chief Ayodele Oke was suspended Wednesday after $43 million was seized from an apartment that belonged to his National Intelligence Agency.
Anti-corruption agents raided the apartment in Lagos on April 12 after a tip that a woman in ragged clothing was moving bags in and out of the seventh floor flat, CNN reported. In the raid, more than $43 million was found, as well as smaller amounts of Nigerian money and British pounds.
Oke at first denied the money belonged to his agency, but he eventually admitted that it did, saying it was being kept for covert operations, CNN reported.
A panel headed by Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will investigate how the NIA got the money, including who released the funds to the agency.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the panel to report within 14 days about who released the money to the NIA and whether any laws or security protocols were breached in doing so. Oke will remain suspended until the investigation is completed, according to the BBC.
Nigeria has had problems with corruption and looting of funds for decades, but the anti-corruption unit has seized cash from a number of places this year after a new whistleblowing policy went into effect in December, allowing whistleblowers to remain anonymous and to receive a small percentage of the money seized, CNN reported.
Buhari was elected in 2015 partly on his promise to deal with corruption.
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