ICPC Recovers N33.16bn, $1.8m In 2025

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has revealed that it recovered N33.16 billion and $1.8 million, alongside numerous convictions in 2025.

The chairman of the ICPC, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, stated this during the ICPC’s defence of its 2026 budget proposal before the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption.

The ICPC chairman, who appealed to the National Assembly to facilitate improved funding to enabling the Commission to effectively discharge its statutory mandate, lamented that inadequate funding, compounded by the poor release of approved allocations, significantly hampered the Commission’s operations in 2025.

He disclosed that out of the N7.82 billion approved for overhead costs, a mere N2.1 billion (approximately 28 per cent) was released, saying the shortfall had tangible consequences.

According to him, “Our lawyers and investigators often had to deploy personal funds to attend court proceedings and conduct investigations due to limited operational vehicles. Several investigations were stalled, and we experienced difficulties in paying service providers, particularly for our rented state offices.”

The situation was even more dire for capital projects. Although N7.3 billion was approved for capital expenditure, only N400.49 million (about 5 per cent) was released.

Furthermore, he said the funds were released late on November 28, 2025. “With such a late release, we could not fully execute projects as planned or award contracts in strict compliance with standard procurement practices,” he added.

ICPC spokesperson, John Odey, said in a statement that “despite these daunting challenges, the ICPC chairman reported notable achievements within the review period. These included the recovery of N33.1 billion in cash and $1.8 million, in addition to other intervention recoveries and seized assets. The Commission also filed 72 cases, secured 36 convictions, and is currently prosecuting approximately 400 cases across various courts nationwide.

“In the realm of prevention and public engagement, Dr. Aliyu stated that the Commission received 1,107 petitions, assigned 700 for investigation, and successfully concluded 150 inquiries. Furthermore, Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecards were deployed across 344 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), and 131 Anti-Corruption and Transparency Units (ACTUs) were inaugurated nationwide.”