The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) called for smarter, technology-enabled strategies to combat corruption in Nigeria, as financial crimes become more sophisticated and transnational.
This call came on Monday during a high-level engagement with a delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), who are in Nigeria for the Article IV Consultation, an annual economic review mission at the invitation of the Federal Government.
In a statement signed by the Commission’s spokesperson, Demola Bakare, the ICPC stressed the importance of adopting intelligence-led operations and reinforcing inter-agency collaboration to address evolving corruption tactics.
Representing the Commission at the meeting, Clifford Okwudiri Oparaodu, ICPC Secretary, reiterated the Commission’s unwavering commitment to tackling corruption across sectors.
He highlighted the role of data, intelligence, and partnerships in disrupting illicit financial flows and recovering stolen public funds.
Richard Bello, Deputy Director of the ICPC’s Planning, Research, and Statistics Department, delivered a presentation titled “Nigeria, International Monetary Fund Hybrid Article IV Consultation Exercise,” where he outlined the Commission’s strategic anti-corruption efforts under the leadership of Chairman Musa Aliyu.
According to Bello, the ICPC has intensified its campaign against financial crimes, including procurement fraud, embezzlement, abuse of office, and money laundering.
These efforts, he said, have led to several high-profile prosecutions since the beginning of 2024.
“Our intelligence-driven operations have successfully disrupted illicit financial flows and recovered significant public funds.
“We continue to strengthen our ties with key partners such as the EFCC, NFIU, CCB, and INTERPOL to improve intelligence sharing and enforcement”, Bello noted.
He also emphasized the Commission’s growing use of digital tools and advanced analytics to gather evidence and track corruption cases more effectively.
However, Bello did not shy away from highlighting the obstacles confronting the agency’s progress.
Among the challenges he mentioned were the Digital Forensics Limitations, such as high licensing fees for digital forensic tools, which restrict the ICPC’s ability to scale up its investigations.
He also pointed to the Service Withdrawal by Cellebrite, a key forensic technology provide,r which has left a gap in the Commission’s digital investigative capabilities.
Additionally, Bello drew attention to Cross-Border Legal Hurdles, particularly delays in Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) processes and complex international requirements that make it difficult to retrieve crucial evidence in transnational corruption cases.
The IMF team, led by Jonathan Pampolina and Ms. Nene Ikechukwu of the Federal Ministry of Finance, engaged the ICPC on its Corruption Risk Assessment methodology and broader legal reforms required to strengthen Nigeria’s anti-corruption framework.
The session, which was held in Abuja, brought together key ICPC directors and the Provost of the Commission’s training institution, the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN).
Discussions underscored the urgency of adopting data-driven, collaborative approaches to address systemic corruption and ensure accountability at all levels of governance.
The IMF’s Article IV Consultation continues as part of a broader assessment of Nigeria’s economic and governance structures.
