The Code of Conduct Bureau has investigated and verified the assets of more than 20 ministers and 30 permanent secretaries as part of efforts to strengthen accountability among public officers.
CCB Chairman, Abdullahi Bello, disclosed this in Abuja at an anti-corruption and asset tracing workshop organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda and the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa.
Bello said the bureau had moved beyond receiving asset declaration forms to examining declarations, investigating suspected breaches and prosecuting offenders. He said the verification exercise had also covered health agencies and other high-profile public officers.
He explained that officials’ assets were verified at the beginning and end of their tenure, with discrepancies potentially triggering investigations. Bello added that the bureau could also commence investigations before the end of an official’s tenure if it received allegations or intelligence.
The CCB chairman said asset tracing had become central to the bureau’s anti-corruption work, adding that it had secured convictions and forfeited properties and funds linked to breaches of the Code of Conduct.
Bello said sanctions for breaches could include removal from office, disqualification from holding public office for 15 years and forfeiture of assets acquired through violations. He said the bureau was strengthening its use of these mechanisms to enforce compliance.
HEDA Executive Secretary, Arigbabu Sulaimon, called for stronger collaboration between government agencies and civil society organisations in tracing illicit assets. He also urged greater use of the Proceeds of Crime Act, improved transparency in asset recovery and stronger legal protection for whistleblowers.
