Nigerian anti-corruption officials arrested the outgoing speaker of the country’s House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, at his home in Abuja on Sunday, on suspicion of defrauding the country of undisclosed amounts. The arrest took place after a four-hour standoff.
I am always curious as to what these sorts of high-profile arrests mean, especially in country’s besotted with corruption. Does this represent a new commitment to seriousness in confronting corruption? Is it just an example of episodic enforcement against a high-ranking official that will get anti-corruption efforts into the news while not actually moving the pile forward in any meaningful way? Or was this alleged corruption so brazen that the anti-corruption unit had no choice but to act?
These are not, of course, merely academic questions. They are (or ought to be) central to Nigeria going forward.