THE Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Aliyu, is advocating for constitutional provisions that would establish deadlines for prosecuting high-profile corruption cases involving politicians and other prominent figures.
Speaking on Inside Sources, a Channels Television programme, on Saturday, August 23, Aliyu said corruption trials should not be left open-ended but concluded within clear timelines.
Expanding on his call for constitutional reform, Aliyu noted that corruption trials often drag on for over a decade in the absence of clear timelines.
“Initially, I had the view that we don’t need special courts, but now, when I have a second look at it, I look at some countries and I discovered that we need it. Why? Because you need a time frame to finish corruption cases.
“So this is one challenge, because if you keep on dragging corruption cases, it will take 10, 12, 15 years… Even the chairman of ICPC will have finished (his tenure),” Aliyu said.
He expressed concerns that the constitution did not mention a clear timeline for cases, adding that you cannot determine the time within which they can be finished unless it is stipulated in the constitution.
Commenting on the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government’s autonomy, Aliyu said political interference continued to hinder its implementation.
He noted further that despite the court’s decision, enforcing it remained difficult, adding that state-independent electoral commissions also posed a major challenge to credible democracy.
Aliyu stressed the need to review the role of state electoral bodies, describing them as lacking independence and transparency. He argued that for democracy to thrive, elections must be conducted by a truly independent and credible umpire, pointing out that in most states, the ruling party always emerged as the winner.
On the anti-graft war, the ICPC boss said recent reports showed encouraging progress, with more citizens rejecting bribes and actively reporting corruption.
“When you look at the third corruption survey, which was done by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and other stakeholders, ICPC, EFCC, and other agencies included, and National Bureau of Statistics, you will see that from that report, which was in 2024, it has shown that… yes, Nigerians, 70% of Nigerians that were probably demanded bribes within that period of time between, I think, 2019 and 2023, they refused to pay bribes,” Aliyu explained.
He further commended Nigerians for increasingly reporting corruption, noting that greater awareness and reduced fear of backlash have boosted confidence in engaging with anti-corruption agencies.
He also described Nigeria’s slight improvement on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, moving from 145th to 140th place, as modest but meaningful progress.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org