ICPC Recovers N53.1bn, $966,900 In 1 Year

Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Aliyu, said the agency recovered a total of N53.1 billion in cash and assets in the past year.

A breakdown of the recovery showed that N29.700 billion was recovered in cash and domiciled in ICPC recovery accounts;

N10.986 billion VAT recovered and remitted to FIRS; N10 billion Covid-19 vaccine fund meant for production of vaccine recovered and remitted to the treasury and assets valued at N2.5billion was also recovered.

He also said the agency recovered foreign currency at about $966,900.83 and intercepted  N5.882 billion from ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in the past one year.

ICPC chairman said the funds were intercepted while conducting Systems Study and Review (SSR) for 323 ministries, departments, and agencies of government.

He stated this as part of his achievements in Abuja yesterday at an event to mark his one year in office.

According to him, “As part of its commitment to institutional accountability, the commission assessed 323 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) through its Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS).

“It also established 80 Anti-Corruption and Transparency Units (ACTUs) across MDAs to reinforce its anti-corruption efforts. While doing these, the commission stopped the diversion of public funds to the tune of N5.882 billion.”

Speaking further, the ICPC boss said that the organisation had processed 851 petitions, with 342 assigned for investigation, 95 fully investigated, 72 cases filed in court, and 16 convictions secured in the past year.

While speaking on plans to get faster prosecution of cases, Aliyu said, “In this regard, we are streamlining our processes to ensure faster and more effective prosecution of cases, leading to the resuscitation of 10-15-year-old cases in courts.

We have also advanced the fight against sexual harassment and corruption in educational institutions and public offices, achieving ongoing prosecutions and increased public support.”

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While speaking at the event, Ekpo Nta, former chairman of the ICPC, advocated for the ICPC and other anti-graft agencies to retain  a percentage of recovered money for operational purposes.

Nta, who is also the chairman of the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC), called for better funding of anti-graft agencies to avoid temptation and corruption.

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede warned against duplication of petitions , noting that any one who has petitioned the ICPC, does not need to petition the EFCC on the same issue again.