CCB probing ex-ministers, top govt officials for corruption — Chairman

Chairman of Code of Conduct Bureau, Abubakar Bello

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The Code of Conduct Bureau has said it is investigating corruption cases involving former ministers, serving top government officials and senior public office holders at both federal and state levels.

The Chairman of the CCB, Dr Abubakar Bello, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja.

“We have started investigating high-profile individuals. There is a former minister we have already taken to court.

“Right now, we are investigating another former minister and also a serving top government official.

“I won’t mention names because we are still at the investigation stage. We don’t want to turn it into a media trial,” he said.

Bello added that the bureau had also secured interim forfeiture orders from the courts and recorded recoveries from investigations involving local government chairmen and senior state officials.

He noted that Nigeria’s anti-corruption war was not targeted only at low-level offenders while shielding politically exposed persons, as alleged in some quarters.

The CCB chairman dismissed the allegation, insisting that ministers, senior government officials and other high-profile individuals were currently under investigation.

He explained that the bureau’s operations were guided strictly by law and due process, not media pressure or political considerations.

Defending the bureau’s quiet approach, Bello warned against public condemnation before evidence is established.

“From my experience working with the EFCC, sometimes people write frivolous petitions.

“Once the media starts reporting it, the person is already labeled corrupt.

“But, if investigations later show he is innocent, his name is already damaged. That is why we only speak when we are ready to go to court,” he said.

According to him, asset declaration remains the core tool of the bureau’s work.

“Every public officer is required to declare assets at the beginning and at the end of their tenure. It is within this window that corruption is detected.

“If you declare your assets at the beginning of your tenure and we verify it, we don’t have any issue with you again until the end of your tenure.

“But if at the end of your tenure you suddenly move from ₦10 million to ₦200 million and you cannot explain the source of that increase, that is where we come in,” he explained.

Bello noted that investigations were not limited to asset comparisons alone.

He said the bureau also acts on petitions and allegations from members of the public and public servants.

“If there is a petition against you, we investigate.

“If we find that you did not declare your assets or cannot explain the source of your income, we will take you to court,” he said.

Addressing concerns about Nigeria’s low anti-corruption rating, the CCB boss pointed to structural and operational challenges, including limited manpower, funding and reliance on manual systems.

“We are talking about 4.5 million public servants in Nigeria. We cannot investigate or verify all of them with the resources.

“To manage this, the bureau has adopted a risk-based approach, focusing its limited resources on high-risk and high-profile individuals where the impact would be greatest.

“That is why it may look like we are selective, but it is not about protecting anyone.

“It is about using scarce resources wisely to get the highest results,” he explained.

Bello added that the planned transition to an online asset declaration system would significantly improve efficiency, verification and prosecution.

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