The Independent Corrupt Practises and Allied Offences Commission (ICPC) said on Wednesday that it had seized more than 100 houses in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, suspected to have been acquired with proceeds from corruption.
Alhaji Isa Salami, a Commissioner in ICPC, who made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar, southern Nigeria, said the houses were seized by the commission within the last four months.
He said the commission was also prosecuting Mr Sunday Ehindero, a former Inspector-General of Police, for allegedly diverting N16 million belonging to the force to his personal use.
Salami, who was in Calabar to represent Mr Ekpo Nta, Chairman of ICPC, at a two-day retreat on the Provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, said the ICPC had published a Law Report which reflected the cases it had prosecuted since 1999.
He said the commission had also embarked on public education and enlightenment on its activities, adding “we have to encourage the public to buy into the war against corruption so that they own it.
“So, we must always capture public sympathy and support for our actions. In this drive we visit schools, where young people are to catch them young and advise them against glorifying corruption.
“We also visit universities, where we have started a system review so that all corruption-prone processes and procedures are reduced to the barest minimum.”
He assured that similar exercises would be carried out at the seaports and aviation sector, which according to him, are gateways for foreigners to access Nigeria.
“These areas of our economy affect the foreigners’ first impression about us and indirectly affect foreign direct investment in the country which is critical for the growth of our economy,’’ he said.
He said the ICPC would concentrate on aspects of the law to examine persons suspected to be living above their means through the assets they had acquired.
“This will be either by way of buildings or vehicles or even fat bank account.
“Once we apprehend anybody, we do not need to go to court, the chairman of the commission has powers to gazette the seizure of these assets.
“And it is now up you to go to court and prove that you inherited or acquired them legitimately, otherwise those assets become state property after a year.
“So far, we have seized more than 100 houses in Abuja and environs within the last three or four months,’’ he said.
He said the commission had also spread its tentacles to some Local Government Areas where recoveries were made in terms of funds taken fraudulently out of public coffers.
The commissioner said three toll free lines had been provided by ICPC to members of the public to offer useful information to the commission.
He, however, warned people against abusing the opportunity by using the lines to settle personal scores by concocting falsehood against innocent persons.
He urged Nigerians to continue to abhor corrupt practises and refrain from supporting people that are known to be corrupt or displaying illegal wealth. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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A customs officer took a tablet of lux soap from my wife at PortHarcourt airport. My wife who is not a Nigerian was traveling back to the USA and had bought the lux becuse she liked the packaging. A shameless individual at that airport took the soap from her, under false pretences that she did not have papers to support the purchase. That is how low the corruption level has reached in Nigeria. Shame, shame, shame!
ReplyDeleteIm a victim of corruption in the name of providin job.
ReplyDeleteI have a story to tell about corruption, but before that, I'm putting Nigeria first by asking these pertinent questions:
ReplyDeleteWhat are these open line of communication?
Are they on a website?
Who is the point of contact?
Do you have a dedicated law enforcement arm of the police involved or do we just report at the police station?
Are you fully funded and transparent with all your expenditures?
What recourse for justice apart from seizure have you in place, like naming and shaming, custodial sentences, source of fraud investigation and co-conspirators charged etc
Recommendation and prevention policies.
We/i commend your efforts but until you (ICPC) show the nation the trail of fraudulent activities and carry out a no-loose-end thorough investigation that can not be thwarted in courts and where from the office messenger to the head of the department are reigned before our courts and showing Zero-Minus tolerance, I'm afraid, you are just taking a ride on the Nigerian Carousel of Corruption.
Now my brief story; I thought I could lend a hand in the growing infrastructure development going on in my state Ogun state having just come back from the UK. I took over the family car and employed a driver. We have been making this journey to site for the last 6 months until we were stopped by customs officers. We were asked to produce the custom papers as evidence of having paid duty to which I replied they were somewhere at home in Lagos and would be brought in tomorrow. Their countenance was towards me offering a bribe which I was not obliging. Needless to say my car was impounded for a whole week waiting for them to release the car even after seeing the duty paid docs that had been bought almost 7 years ago, with all the original documents intact and given.
Who goes around with custom duty papers anyway? All our cars should be checked and impounded for not carrying them!!!! Come to think of it, does their vehicle carry any import duty docs? Being that all our cars are imported.
Field customs officers please be aware, that ICPC can probe your acquisition of houses, cars, businesses and other ill gotten gains especially since we know how much you get.