The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Abdullahi Bello, says the bureau has investigated and verified the assets of more than 20 ministers and 30 permanent secretaries as part of efforts to strengthen accountability among public officers.

Bello disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday at an anti-corruption and asset tracing stakeholders’ workshop organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda in collaboration with the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa.

Bello said the CCB had moved beyond merely receiving asset declaration forms to examining declarations, investigating suspected infractions and prosecuting offenders.

“We are not submitting forms anymore. Now, we’re examining the forms, we’re also investigating, and we’re also prosecuting,” he said.

The chairman said the bureau had focused its verification exercise on high-profile public officers.

“We have interviewed and verified the relations of more than 20 ministers, 30 permanent secretaries, 32 health agencies, and other high-profile individuals,” Bello said.

He said the bureau invites public officers to its office for face-to-face examination of their records.

“One of the key things that we do is that, once you declare your assets at the beginning of your term, we verify it; then we’ll wait for you at the end of your term, and we’ll also verify it.

“If you see any difference between the beginning and the end, that can only be explained by your non-social income, then we investigate you and prosecute you,” he said.

He stressed that the CCB could commence an investigation before the end of an official’s tenure where allegations or intelligence existed.

“But it doesn’t mean that we have to wait for you to finish office before we can investigate you. If there is any allegation against you, we can also investigate. Or if there is intelligence against you, we can also investigate, he said.

Bello described asset tracing as central to the bureau’s anti-corruption efforts.

“Asset tracing is not a side issue. It’s where investigation becomes persistent,” he said.

He also said the CCB had secured convictions and forfeited properties and funds linked to breaches of the code of conduct.

“For the first time in the life of CCB, we have been able to do that,” he said.

Bello said the Code of Conduct provisions provided for sanctions including removal from office, disqualification from holding public office and forfeiture of assets acquired through breaches.

“If you look at the prohibition of the Code of Conduct, there are three major punishments for Code of Conduct breaches. First, you can be banned from office for 15 years. You can be removed from office. And then finally, the assets that you acquire from a breach can be forfeited to the government,” he said.

Speaking at the workshop, the Executive Secretary of HEDA, Arigbabu Sulaimon, said the meeting was aimed at strengthening inter-agency collaboration, intelligence sharing and the role of civil society in combating corruption.

Sulaimon said the workshop was “conceptualised not merely as a platform for speeches, but as a technical working session” to advance three core institutional objectives.

He said the first objective was “bridging interagency silos and fostering civic synergy,” stressing the need for effective information sharing among government agencies and civil society organisations.

“Realising full accountability requires seamless real-time intelligence exchange among our primary military and enforcement bodies,” Sulaimon said.

He added that civil society organisations could contribute to investigations through grassroots monitoring and open-source intelligence.

“Importantly is forging strong operational pipelines with civil society organisations whose grassroots tracking and open-source intelligence tools provide invaluable leads for criminal investigation,” he said.

Sulaimon also called for greater use of the Proceeds of Crime Act and the Code of Conduct Bureau’s statutory mechanisms in tracing and recovering illicit assets.

“Operationalising the Proceeds of Crime Act, POCA, is essential to ensure that confiscated assets are not only effectively recovered, but managed and disposed of with absolute public transparency,” he said.

He further urged the authorities to make asset declaration a more effective tool for detecting illicit enrichment and abuse of public office.

“Furthermore, we must transform the code of conduct we use after the declaration process from a routine and restricted exercise into a dynamic, verifiable mechanism for detecting early signs of illicit enrichment and public office abuse,” Sulaimon said.

On whistleblower protection, the HEDA executive secretary said greater safeguards were needed to encourage individuals to provide information on corruption and other crimes.

“Whistleblowers remain the single most effective catalyst for uncovering criminal crimes. Yet, without robust statutory protections and safe reporting mechanisms, courageous individuals remain vulnerable to retaliation,” he said.

Source: punchng.com

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

Ogun State Police Command has commenced a documentation and verification exercise for all Supernumerary Police personnel operating in the state.

The exercise, which began on September 23, 2026, will run until October 7, 2026, according to a statement issued by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police Oluseyi Babasiyi on X on Wednesday.

The command directed all organisations with SPY personnel to ensure that their personnel report to the Police Public Relations Department at the Ogun State Police Command Headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta, for the exercise.

The statement said personnel are required to present their training certificates and photocopies, warrant cards or certificates of “To Whom It May Concern,” recent passport photographs in approved uniform, as well as other relevant documents.

The command said the exercise was aimed at strengthening the proper documentation, verification and oversight of SPY personnel operating in Ogun State.

Source: punchng.com

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

Iran’s mid-level officials and delegation walked out of the United Nations General Assembly after United States President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to “annihilate” Iran if Tehran fails to reach a deal with Washington, while declaring at the United Nations General Assembly that Cuba’s communist government was failing and “will fall”.

Trump made the remarks in a combative address to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, where he defended the United States’ failing months-long military campaign against Iran and warned that he could escalate the conflict rather than accept a settlement that allows Tehran to recover.

“I have a big decision to make,” Trump told world leaders gathered at the UN headquarters.

“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world?

“Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”

Trump nevertheless said he believed a deal with Iran would eventually be reached, but tied his expectation to the US midterm elections.

“I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election,” he said.

Trump also sought to distance himself from the electoral consequences of the November midterms, saying he was not personally on the ballot.

“I’m not running. I did that already and won in a landslide. The Republican Party is running, and I’ll be helping them, but I am not running,” he said.

The Iranian delegation walked out of the General Assembly Hall as Trump addressed the conflict, with most of the delegation leaving about 10 minutes into his speech.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were in New York for the UN gathering but were not in the hall during Trump’s address.

Trump devoted much of his roughly 40-minute address to defending his administration’s foreign policy and military actions, portraying the campaign against Iran as necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons and claiming that American military power had altered the balance of power in the region.

He also turned his attention to Cuba, saying his administration was seeking “a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba”.

“It’s an absolutely failed state — it’s failing like never before, and it will fall,” Trump said.

The Cuban delegation subsequently walked out of the General Assembly Hall.

Reuters reported that Trump said the Cuban government was under the greatest pressure it had ever faced and that his administration expected its political system to fall.

Trump’s remarks contrasted sharply with the emphasis on diplomacy from Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who addressed the assembly shortly before him.

Lula said the wars and escalating tensions confronting the international community could not be resolved through military force alone.

“We all know there will be no winners on the battlefield,” Lula said in Portuguese. “Diplomacy is the only option.”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also urged world leaders to strengthen international cooperation rather than retreat into confrontation.

“Military power alone cannot secure peace,” Guterres said in his opening address to the gathering.

Trump’s address ranged beyond Iran and Cuba to other foreign-policy disputes, including Venezuela, Gaza, Ukraine and the International Criminal Court.

He claimed credit for ending the war in Gaza and presented the United States as a central force in resolving international conflicts, even as negotiations over the next phase of the Gaza conflict remained unresolved.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his own address, sharply criticised Israel, describing it as having a “genocidal mind-set.”

Israeli delegates subsequently left the General Assembly Hall as Erdogan spoke.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also addressed the Gaza conflict, describing the situation there as “a genocide in every sense of the word.”

Trump’s UN appearance came against the backdrop of the continuing war with Iran and heightened international concern over the economic consequences of the conflict, including disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz and elevated energy prices.

Immediately after his address, Trump signed an agreement with Denmark concerning increased US military presence in Greenland, while maintaining Danish control of the territory.

Trump said the agreement would give the United States “permanent control over security and all other needs on that territory”.

“We will have the complete ability to do what is necessary to defend the American continent and also Europe and other places,” he said.

The US President has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring Greenland, but when asked whether the agreement meant Washington had abandoned that objective, he did not rule it out.

The UN General Assembly, the organisation’s main deliberative and representative body, brings together leaders and delegations from its member states each year to address international conflicts, development, security and other global issues.

Source: punchng.com

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM