Buhari said stolen money by corrupt leaders will be for sale

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria will sell all assets seized by the government in anti-graft probes and use the funds to bolster the treasury, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Monday.

Nigerian state coffers have in past years been ransacked by government officials and their associates, and corruption is prevalent throughout society. Buhari was elected in 2015 in part on a promise to rid the country of graft.

“All mismanaged and misappropriated national assets recovered will be sold off and proceeds paid to the treasury for the benefit of the country,” he said, according to a statement from his spokesman.

The presidency statement did not say when the sales would happen, nor provide further details.

Very few officials from Buhari’s administration have so far been prosecuted despite frequent allegations against them.

Notable exceptions were his sacking last October of Nigeria’s most senior civil servant, Babachir Lawal, and the former head of the National Intelligence Agency for alleged involvement in corruption.