Former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai (retd.), has said the $1 billion approved for defence procurement during his tenure was released to the Ministry of Defence, not directly to the military services or himself.
Buratai made the clarification on Monday while speaking at the 2026 Defence Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DECAN) conference in Abuja, describing allegations surrounding the funds as “political and malicious.”
He said the controversy emerged during the 2019 general elections when opposition figures alleged that the money had been diverted for electoral purposes, a claim he said was refuted by the Federal Government.
According to Buratai, the allegations damaged the reputations of service chiefs, while the Ministry of Defence failed to provide a comprehensive public explanation of how the funds were spent and the contracts awarded.
To improve accountability in defence spending, the former army chief proposed the establishment of a Defence Procurement Transparency Portal to provide information on contract categories, contractors and delivery timelines, subject to national security restrictions.
He also recommended the publication of quarterly accountability bulletins detailing court martial outcomes involving human rights violations and operational conduct, while ensuring that due process and sensitive military operations are protected.
Buratai stressed that credible allegations of human rights abuses involving security personnel should be investigated and prosecuted where evidence supports such action.
He maintained that the military must operate within the law and should not be exempted from accountability.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), said Nigeria’s evolving security challenges require effective combat operations, timely intelligence, advanced technology and stronger cooperation among security agencies.
Musa, who was represented by Air Commodore Steven Ogunmodede (retd.), called on journalists to uphold responsible reporting, warning that unverified information and the disclosure of sensitive details could endanger military personnel, civilians and ongoing operations.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General OO Oluyede, also highlighted the growing importance of real-time intelligence, technological superiority, cyber resilience and control of the information environment in modern warfare.
Oluyede warned that artificial intelligence-generated videos, manipulated images, cloned voices and false operational claims could undermine public confidence and threaten national security.
He urged journalists to verify sensitive security reports with Defence Headquarters and help expose fabricated content capable of misleading the public.
Similarly, the President of DECAN, Comrade Odita Sunday, identified artificial intelligence, satellite surveillance, data analytics and unmanned systems as essential tools for tackling Nigeria’s changing security threats.
Sunday noted that security challenges had expanded beyond traditional battlefields to cyberspace, digital platforms, information networks and financial systems allegedly exploited by terrorists and criminal groups.
He, however, stressed that technology alone would not be sufficient without sound policies, trained personnel and effective intelligence sharing to strengthen threat detection and improve security responses.
