CCB probes assets of over 20 ministers, 30 permanent secretaries

The Code of Conduct Bureau says it has investigated and verified the assets of more than 20 ministers and 30 permanent secretaries as part of an intensified scrutiny of public officers.

CCB Chairman, Abdullahi Bello, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at an anti-corruption and asset-tracing stakeholders’ workshop organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda in collaboration with the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa.

Bello said the bureau was moving beyond the collection of asset declaration forms by examining declarations, investigating suspected breaches and prosecuting offenders.

“We are not submitting forms anymore. Now, we’re examining the forms, we’re also investigating, and we’re also prosecuting,” he said.

He said the verification exercise had focused on senior public officials, adding that the bureau had also examined declarations involving 32 health agencies and other high-profile individuals.

“We have interviewed and verified the relations of more than 20 ministers, 30 permanent secretaries, 32 health agencies, and other high-profile individuals,” Bello said.

According to him, public officers could be invited to the bureau for face-to-face examination of their declarations and supporting records.

He explained that the CCB conducts verification at the beginning of an official’s tenure and can compare the declaration with the official’s assets at the end of the tenure.

Bello said unexplained changes in an official’s assets could trigger further investigation and prosecution where a breach was established.

He, however, stressed that the bureau did not have to wait until an official completed their tenure before opening an investigation.

“But it doesn’t mean that we have to wait for you to finish office before we can investigate you. If there is any allegation against you, we can also investigate. Or if there is intelligence against you, we can also investigate,” he said.

The CCB chairman described asset tracing as a central component of the bureau’s anti-corruption work and said the agency had secured convictions as well as forfeiture of properties and funds in cases involving breaches of the code of conduct.

Bello also said breaches of the code could attract sanctions, including removal from office, disqualification from holding public office and forfeiture of assets acquired through such violations.

HEDA seeks stronger asset recovery system

At the workshop, HEDA Executive Secretary, Arigbabu Sulaimon, called for stronger cooperation among anti-corruption agencies, security institutions and civil society organisations in tracing and recovering illicit assets.

He said the workshop was designed as a technical working session focused on improving intelligence sharing and collaboration rather than merely providing a platform for speeches.

Sulaimon said civil society organisations could support investigations through grassroots monitoring and open-source intelligence, while government agencies needed to establish more effective channels for sharing relevant information.

He also urged authorities to make greater use of the Proceeds of Crime Act and the CCB’s statutory mechanisms to trace, recover and manage assets linked to illicit activities.

“Operationalising the Proceeds of Crime Act, POCA, is essential to ensure that confiscated assets are not only effectively recovered, but managed and disposed of with absolute public transparency,” he said.

Sulaimon further called for reforms that would make asset declarations more effective in identifying unexplained wealth and abuse of public office.

On whistleblowers, he advocated stronger legal and institutional protections, arguing that people who provide information on corruption require safe channels for reporting and protection from retaliation.

The workshop brought together stakeholders to examine ways of improving inter-agency collaboration, asset tracing and recovery, and the role of civil society in strengthening accountability.