ICPC recovers ₦37.44b, $2.35m in landmark 2025 year as Chairman urges staff to recommit to integrity

By James Ike

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has announced the recovery of ₦37.44 billion and $2.353 million in 2025, marking one of its most significant annual achievements to date.

Speaking at the ICPC’s End-of-Year Engagement, Send-Forth for retiring staff, and Annual Merit Awards Ceremony in Abuja, Chairman Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, described 2025 as “a pivotal year marked by substantial progress across enforcement, prevention, and public enlightenment.”

Spokesperson of the Commission, Okor Odey in a statement said Dr. Aliyu revealed that the Commission investigated 263 cases—exceeding its target of 250—and filed 61 cases in court, achieving a 55.74% conviction rate.

Among the notable successes was the conviction of Professor Cyril Ndifon of the University of Calabar, sentenced to five years in prison for sexual harassment and cyberbullying, a development the Chairman said “sent a strong signal of the Commission’s resolve to confront all forms of abuse of office.”

The Commission also made strides in preventive work, assessing 344 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) using the Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard, completing 66 corruption-monitoring activities, and carrying out 1,490 project-tracking exercises nationwide. Systems studies and corruption risk assessments were completed in 12 MDAs to reduce structural vulnerabilities to corruption.

On public engagement, ICPC reached more than 235,000 Nigerians through 644 sensitisation events, generated 3.5 million digital interactions, established 86 Anti-Corruption Clubs, and trained 2,707 participants at the ICPC Academy. Partnerships with civil society and other organizations led to 15 collaborative activities and 57 complementary engagements.

Highlighting staff welfare, Dr. Aliyu announced the historic approval of the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) allowance for ICPC personnel, describing it as “historic and worth celebrating.” Merit award winners and retiring staff were honoured for their dedication, professionalism, and years of national service.

Looking ahead to 2026, the Chairman urged personnel to maintain high ethical standards, calling for “integrity, diligence, professionalism, and unity of purpose” to strengthen the Commission and advance Nigeria’s anti-corruption agenda. “Let us recommit ourselves to building a stronger ICPC and contributing more meaningfully to the national anti-corruption agenda,” he said.

Guests at the ceremony, including Mr. Victor Muruako, Esq., Chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, and Ms. Souad Osman-Aden of the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDa), lauded ICPC’s achievements in asset recovery, public trust, and inter-agency collaboration.

Dr. Umar Yakubu of the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity also commended ICPC’s transparency in asset recovery, stating that such openness “enhances public trust in governance.”

The event capped a year ICPC described as historic, productive, and pivotal in Nigeria’s ongoing fight against corruption.