[JURIST] As many as six additional former Nigerian governors will be charged with corruption by the end of the year, Nigerian anti-corruption czar Nuhu Ribadu [official profile] said Tuesday. Ribadu, the chairman of Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [official website], would not reveal the names of the those to be charged or the specific allegations, but in an interview with AP said that more governors would "definitely" be charged.

The Commission was formed in 2002 by the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act [text] as part of an anti-corruption push by then-president Olusegun Obasanjo [BBC profile] who was himself indicted for corruption [JURIST report] in March. The Commission is currently prosecuting five former state governors. Former state governor Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha was sentenced [JURIST report] in July to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to six counts of corruption and money laundering. A Human Rights Watch report issued earlier this month warned that corruption in Nigeria [JURIST news archive] has reached a crisis level and said that government could be compared to a criminal organization [HRW report; JURIST report]. AP has more.