Yekeen Nurudeen
The Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Ekpo Nta has disclosed that the Commission is currently prosecuting 303 cases of corruption in various courts across the country.
Speaking during a media parley held at the headquarters of the Commission on Monday, Nta also disclosed that a total of 70 cases were filed in 2016 by the anti-corruption Commission while 11 convictions were secured.
He revealed that a total of 1569 petitions were received by ICPC in 2016 out of which he said the North Central zone had 782 petitions, which was the highest.
South West followed with 295 petitions, South-South 201, North West 118 while the North East recorded 62.
The United Kingdom and United States of America also recorded four and one petitions respectively.
Most petitions, Nta said, came from private sector which had 711 petitions as against government establishments that had 149 while education sector also recorded 149 petition.
On the recovery made by the Commission, the Chairman disclosed that a total of N8,705,750,426.15 (Eight Billion, Seven Hundred and Five Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Four Hundred and Twenty -six Naira, Fifteen Kobo) was recovered.
Giving the breakdown of the amount, he said N6 billion was frozen in Infrastructure Bank while N698,450,000 was also recovered from the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P out of which N668,593,621.60 was refunded to Kano State. He said the balance of recovery is for extorted students of FUNAAB and other victims.
He added that another N 292,013,150.64 is in the Treasury Single Account, TSA, recovery account while N1,694,397,275.51 includes pension monies paid to Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company, NELMCO, beneficiaries and others.
Another N20,890,000.00, the ICPC Chairman said, includes monies for NSITF Multi-purpose Cooperative Society and others.
Nta further disclosed that 124 operational vehicles under SURE-P were recovered from some directors in Ministries who he said retired and went away with such vehicles, adding that 40 of such vehicles have since been handed over to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources which has no operational vehicle.
In his opening remarks, the ICPC Chairman stressed that anti-corruption efforts must be focused on prevention through systems reform and reduction of opportunity for corruption.
He said the ICPC in fulfillment of its mandate at Section 6(b-d) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, vigorously pursued systems reform to deliberately and consciously shut the door against illicit activities.