By Our Reporter
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has pledged to regularly publish details of recovered assets, including their ownership and current status, as part of efforts to promote transparency and accountability.
Hassan Mohamed, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the maiden General Assembly of the African Asset Recovery Practitioners’ Forum (AARP-F), gave the assurance during a pre-conference media briefing in Abuja on Saturday.
Mohamed, who is also the ICPC Director of Special Services, said information about recovered assets would be accessible to the public, stressing that nothing concerning the commission’s asset recovery activities would be concealed.
He said recovered assets belonged to the Nigerian public and must be properly accounted for.
“Definitely, ICPC will do that. Nothing is hidden. It is a public document. Anything recovered is for the public. And so, ICPC will definitely declare anything and whatever has been recovered,” he said.
The assurance comes ahead of the maiden AARP-F General Assembly, scheduled to hold in Abuja from November 17 to 20, with representatives from about 54 African countries expected to participate.
Mohamed said the gathering would provide a platform for African countries to harmonise strategies and strengthen cooperation in tackling corruption, asset recovery and illicit financial flows.
According to him, asset recovery has become a critical component of anti-corruption efforts globally, while the African Union is working to ensure that recovered resources are used for the benefit of citizens.
He explained that the assembly would enable participating countries to exchange experiences, develop common approaches and improve collaboration in addressing the challenges associated with recovering stolen public funds and assets.
On whether Nigeria had compiled figures of recovered assets to present at the conference, Mohamed said he did not have the relevant information available during the briefing.
He, however, lamented that African countries continued to lose resources needed for development through corruption and illicit financial activities, with serious consequences for public welfare and institutional development.
“Every successfully recovered public asset represents an opportunity to redirect resources towards the needs of citizens, improve public service delivery, strengthen institutions and rebuild confidence in governance systems,” he said.
The ICPC official noted that no country could effectively tackle transnational financial crimes alone, calling for stronger partnerships, improved information-sharing mechanisms and more effective international cooperation.
He also urged African governments and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the Common African Position on Asset Recovery (CAPAR) moved beyond being a policy document to become a practical framework for action at national and regional levels.
“The message we are taking to Abuja is that Africa must not only demand the return of its stolen assets; it must build the institutional capacity, partnerships and collective determination required to recover them,” he said.
Asked whether any African country had performed better than Nigeria in asset recovery, Mohamed said making comparisons was difficult because some countries did not publicly disclose their recovery activities.
He observed that the conference would provide an opportunity for participating countries to exchange information and discuss the assets they had recovered.
“Some of these countries recover their assets and you don’t know what they have recovered. We don’t know whether they are doing their recoveries or not.
“But when we meet like this, we have the opportunity to discuss in forums like this what has been recovered,” he said.