TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari says he has never been found guilty of corruption or abused trust throughout his years of public service.

Buhari said this on Wednesday during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in Ebonyi state.

He had served as military head of state, governor of the north-eastern state as well as chairman of the petroleum trust fund.

He said even though he had been arrested and detained over allegations of corruption, nothing incriminating was ever found on him.

According to the president, “I can assure you that I, as the president, today have never been in a position of abusing trust.

“As a governor of the whole six north eastern states, as minister of petroleum for over three years and as a former head of state. I was arrested, detained, investigated but they never found anything against me.”

Buhari also said fighting corruption is a “very difficult process”, but” we are doing our best by trying to reorganise the Nigeria police and the judiciary itself.”

“Because, we appointed people that went into public office without their own houses, without even maybe good cars, but within three years they build houses in Abuja, opened accounts in Europe or America and we cannot touch them,” he said.

“But when we discover what they have, we take them to court and when we take them to the court, we hope they will be prosecuted and then we will punish them.”

‘BOKO HARAM HELD 17 LGAS UNDER JONATHAN’

Buhari said Boko Haram insurgent group held sway in the north-east under former President Goodluck Jonathan.

He has been able to secure the country from the hands of Boko Haram insurgents unlike in the past.

“First we had to secure the country because part of the country was under threat in the north-east, at least 17 local governments were in the hands of Boko Haram,” he said.