Alex Enumah in Abuja and Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Aliyu, on Thursday disclosed that the commission has recovered a cash sum of ₦7.269 billion and $1.066 million, suspected to be proceeds of crime.

Besides the commission that 14 buildings, 25 plots of land, and three farmlands were also confiscated from some persons in the region over alleged corruption.

ICPC’s chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, made the disclosure on Thursday in Kano, during a one-day engagement with media practitioners in the North-West and North-East.

He said “the cash recoveries from 2023 till date, totalled ₦7.269 billion in the Northwest and ₦43.335 million in the Northeast, with a total of $1.066 million also recovered in the North-West.”

The ICPC boss lamented that the North-West has the highest number of corruption cases in the region, having 171 cases investigated and 54 in the northeast.

“This led to 15 cases being filed in court, with nine from the Northwest and six from the Northeast. Four convictions were recorded in the Northwest and none in the Northeast.”

Giving a breakdown of the seizure the ICPC boss stated that, ‘’A total of 1,440 projects were tracked, valued at approximately N271.054 billion”.

He noted that 767 projects valued at N112.737 billion were in the Northeast, while 673 projects valued at N158.317 billion were in the Northwest.

‘’But the real story in project tracking is this: citizens and journalists who flagged abandoned projects made these interventions possible, ensuring resources reached the intended beneficiaries,’’ he said.

While disclosing that the mandate of the commission rests on three pillars: enforcement, prevention, and public education, which is in line with Section 6 of the ICPC Act, 2000, Aliyu said today’s engagement was designed to strengthen the third pillar—mobilising citizens in the North-West and North-East to stand against corruption.

The ICPC Chairman said a UNODC-NBS survey reveals that the North-West recorded the highest bribe refusal rate in the country at 76%, while the North-East recorded 60%.

He noted that this shows that ordinary people are willing to stand their ground against corruption, ‘’We at the ICPC salute this steadfastness.’’

‘’Equally encouraging is the growing courage to report corruption. Reports of bribery in the Northern zones rose from 4.7% in 2019 to 13.4% in 2023. More importantly, the share of these reports leading to formal action has almost tripled, from 16% in 2019 to 43% in 2023. These are not just statistics—they tell real stories of Nigerians refusing to be exploited.

‘’For us to consolidate these gains, we must partner with you—the media. People in these two zones listen to your voices, read your analysis, and follow your reports. Your platforms are powerful channels for spreading anti-corruption messages and bridging the gap between citizens and the Commission.’’

The anti-graft Czar added that preventing corruption in these regions is not just about governance, it is about peace, trust, and development, hence by strengthening ICPC’s capacity, ‘’we are not only blocking leakages but also ensuring that resources reach citizens who need them most.

He therefore appealed to the National Assembly to expedite the passage of the Whistleblower Bill, which will empower citizens to report corruption without fear.

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