By Yakubu , Salisu Kano
The Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has recovered N20 billion from Ghost Workers’ pension.
The Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN made this known during a breakfast session with Editors from Northwest part of the Country on Wednesday in Abuja organized by the Commission.
According to him, the Commission through various mechanisms deployed after his assumption into office was able to trace, block and recover the huge sum which has been siphoned through various agencies and ministries by unscrupulous persons.
He said, the recovery made in 2024 is part of the ongoing intensified war against corruption in the country by the ICPC in line with it’s mandate of combating the menace assuring that his commission will not relent in carrying out it’s expected duties despite challenges.
Aliyu, stated that the purpose of the meeting is to solicit the Editors’ support in the Commission’s mandate of fighting corruption noting that the fight worldwide is not a simple one hence, the need to bring onboard critical stakeholders for collaborations.
“We are here today to further cement the existing relationship between us and the media for effective dissemination of information to the public.
Like I said, we were able to recover N20Billion last year from Ghost Workers and we are poised to fight corruption from its root.
Let me tell you something, corrupt elements all over the world are usually united and resort to all sorts of tactics to fight any agency that dares to stop them. We know their antics, and we won’t relent at tackling them any day anytime”, he said.
The Anti Corruption Caesar further added that the Commission, while carrying out it’s job puts into consideration the rights of suspects which often prevent them from rushing to the media before the ruling of a competent court of law on the suspect.
Adamu explained that ICPC avoids unnecessary controversies that could distract by ensuring any information shared to the public is verified and has the backing of the law.
“We have been accused of being media shy, that is not true. We are only trying our best to ensure we feed the public the right information.
At ICPC we ensure a suspects remains a suspects until a court of law with the jurisdiction finds him guilty that is why we are not always in the media blowing our horn.
I’m sure you have heard of cases where people suspected to have committed offences end up been cleared by the court, so, if you expose such person to the public, you have damaged his or her reputation before a fair trial and we also ensure the identify of our informants are fully protected”.
Despite all these, he said, the Commission has one of the best interactive website and other various channels of communication where the public can access verified information in the three major languages in Nigeria.
Adamu, assured the ICPC will continue to deliver on its mandates without any fear or favor which at the end, will lead to more economic investment in the country.
He charged the media heads to continue to lend their support to the ICPC and not hesitate to approach him on any issue that needs to be certified before going public
Earlier, the Facilitator of the event, Dr. Suke Ya’u Sule stated that the participants were carefully selected going by their records.
He employed them to use their various platforms to educate and inform the public about activities and mandate of the ICPC.