*Records 55.7% conviction rate
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it recovered a total of ₦37.44 billion and $2.353 million in 2025 through asset seizures and forfeitures, marking one of its most significant annual recoveries in recent years.
Chairman of the Commission, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, disclosed this on Sunday in Abuja during the ICPC End-of-Year Engagement, Send-Forth for retiring staff and Annual Merit Awards Ceremony.
He described 2025 as a landmark year characterised by notable gains in enforcement, prevention and public enlightenment.
According to him, the Commission investigated 263 cases during the year, surpassing its target of 250, and filed 61 cases in court, recording a conviction rate of 55.74 per cent.
Dr Aliyu highlighted the conviction of Professor Cyril Ndifon of the University of Calabar as one of the year’s major breakthroughs.
Ndifon was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for offences related to sexual harassment and cyberbullying, a judgment the ICPC chairman said underscored the Commission’s resolve to confront abuse of office in all its forms.
On preventive efforts, the ICPC assessed 344 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) using its Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard.
It also conducted 66 corruption-monitoring activities and tracked 1,490 projects across the country.
In addition, Systems Study and Corruption Risk Assessments were completed in 12 MDAs to address structural weaknesses that enable corruption.
The Chairman said the Commission also intensified its public enlightenment drive, reaching over 235,000 Nigerians through 644 sensitisation programmes.
He added that ICPC generated about 3.5 million digital engagements, established 86 Anti-Corruption Clubs and Vanguards nationwide, and trained 2,707 participants at the ICPC Academy.
Dr Aliyu noted that the Commission expanded collaboration with stakeholders, initiating 15 joint activities, while civil society organisations carried out 57 complementary engagements in support of anti-corruption efforts.
In what he described as a historic achievement, the ICPC chairman announced that the Commission successfully secured the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) allowance for its staff for the first time.
He reaffirmed ICPC’s commitment to staff welfare and institutional strengthening.
He also commended staff who emerged as recipients of the annual merit awards, explaining that the peer-driven nomination process enhanced transparency and credibility.
Retiring officers were equally honoured for their years of service, dedication and professionalism.
Looking ahead to 2026, Dr Aliyu urged ICPC personnel to remain focused and avoid complacency, stressing the need for integrity, diligence, professionalism and unity of purpose in advancing the national anti-corruption agenda.
In his goodwill message, Chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), Mr Victor Muruako, Esq., praised ICPC’s interventions at the local government level and expressed readiness to deepen inter-agency collaboration.
He said the end-of-year engagement provided an opportunity to reflect on Nigeria’s progress in the fight against corruption.
Also speaking, Executive Director of the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDa), Ms Souad Osman-Aden, congratulated the Commission on what she described as a productive year, commending its achievements in asset recovery and tackling illicit financial flows, particularly under the newly refreshed Memorandum of Understanding between both organisations.
Similarly, the Executive Director of the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity, Dr Umar Yakubu, represented by Mr Victor Agi, applauded ICPC’s partnership on the Accountability and Corruption Prevention Programme for Local Government (ACPP-LG).
He said the transparency demonstrated in the Commission’s asset recovery operations was crucial to strengthening public trust in governance.
