BEVERLY HILLS, February 08, (THEWILL) – The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, says it has seized 62 houses from a female public officer, and retrieved 40 vehicles that were stolen by some retired directors of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
This was disclosed by the ICPC Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta, who said the matter is in the court, and that the property will be confiscated by the Federal Government after litigation.
He stated this while fielding questions from newsmen at the Akwa Ibom Anti-Corruption Summit in Uyo on Tuesday, during which he warned against trivialising the fight against corruption.
“How would the commission address unexplained wealth by public officers? The commission has a mandate to ask anybody to explain the source of his or her wealth. The commission has the power to issue an interim seizure order to any public officer to explain the source of their wealth.
“Through that order, the commission has seized 62 houses from one female officer, the matter is still in court and the property will be confiscated by the FG after litigation,” Nta said.
The ICPC boss, who spoke on the theme, “Transparency and Accountability: A Panacea for Good Governance and Sustainable Development,” asserted that the anti-corruption war had yielded good results in the country.
While warning public office holders against living above their incomes, he said, “There are many facets of corruption in Nigeria. The commission will stop at nothing to bring anyone found to have contravened the anti-corruption crusade to book”.
Nta explained that the commission was prosecuting over 400 corruption cases in different courts in the country, noting that those found guilty at the end of the trial would be made to face the full wrath of the law.
He added that the commission had taken a step further by launching the anti-corruption campaign in institutions of higher learning and among the members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.
The ICPC boss continued that an anti-corruption module had since been introduced into the curriculum of the University of Calabar, maintaining that such a measure would go a long way in entrenching moral values in students.
He stated that the anti-graft agency had inaugurated anti-corruption clubs in orientation camps, noting that such measures had assisted the commission in detecting and arresting about 42 fake corps members at orientation camps recently.
