Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, has called on State Attorneys-general in the North-East to strengthen institutional integrity and deepen regional cooperation in the fight against corruption.
Dr. Aliyu made the call in Maiduguri, Borno State, during the ICPC roundtable engagement with state attorneys-general in the North-East Zone, themed “Institutional Integrity and Regional Cooperation: The Role of Attorneys-General in Advancing a Corruption-Free North-East.”
In his welcome address, the ICPC chairman said corruption undermines economies, fuels insecurity, and erodes public trust, stressing that only a united approach between federal and state governments could effectively address the scourge.
He said, “Punishment alone is not enough. We must combine approaches: recover stolen assets, restore justice to victims, strengthen our systems, and above all, work together across institutions and across regions.”
ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, said in a statement that Aliyu recalled that the initiative began on September 3, 2024, in Abuja with the inaugural roundtable attended by 34 out of 36 state attorneys-general.
He said the engagements have since been held in Kano, Asaba, Ilorin, and Enugu, before reaching Maiduguri for the North-East session.
He further acknowledged the support of the National Assembly Committees on Anti-corruption and commended the presence of eminent jurists, including the chief judge of Borno State, Hon. Justice Kashim Zannah, and Professor Auwalu Hamisu Yadudu, describing them as “towering figures of law and justice.”
Delivering a keynote address, Senator Kaka Shehu Lawan, SAN, underscored the necessity of collaboration between state attorneys-general and the ICPC, stressing that the region, despite its vast potential, faces compounded challenges from insurgency, humanitarian crises, and slow recovery, making every naira lost to corruption a major setback.
Senator Lawan added that state attorneys-general, as custodians of state laws, and the ICPC, with its federal investigative and preventive mandate, play complementary roles, describing their partnership as a “strategic imperative” that guarantees faster investigations, stronger prosecutions, and more effective preventive measures.
