Federal Government's anti-corruption operatives have been sent after 'super rich' public officers who have multiple properties and other assets suspected to have been the rewards of graft.
President Muhammadu Buhari has intensified his anti-corruption campaign which was one of his major agenda on the presidential manifesto. As part of the fulfilment of his promise, the country's anti-graft agencies - the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) have been empowered to go after civil servants with suspicious financial records as well as assets in the Federal Capital Territory.
Punch correspondents learnt in Abuja on Wednesday that operatives in the Assets Tracing, Recovery and Management Unit of the ICPC had been asked to haul in suspects for interrogation and recovery of ill-gotten assets in their possession.
It was gathered that the ICPC had strengthened the ATRMU by posting more personnel to the unit to ensure the success of its campaign.
According to an operative of the ICPC that spoke under the condition of anonymity, the organization is fully utilizing its anti-corruption transparency unit in several ministries to carry out forensic investigations of the 'super rich' civil servants in the country. Petitions from concerned civil servants are also being attended to.
The main focus of the ICPC is currently on civil servants with more than three properties as well as fleet of cars with no correlation with their level of income. The source revealed any civil servant found guilty would be charged to court and the proceeds of the fraud confisticated by the Federal Government.
The source told the reporter, “You know that the commission has a unit called the Assets Tracing, Recovery and Management Unit. This is the unit that is involved in probing those who have such assets with stolen funds.
“In fact the operatives are working very discreetly on the issue but the focus of the ICPC’s probe is the civil service.
“Those civil servants living a life beyond their means, their lifestyles are under watch. People are monitoring them, whistle-blowers are writing petitions and the Assets Recovery Unit is following up on them.
“Another thing is that we have the Anti-Corruption Transparency Units in all the agencies; these units are being supervised by our officers. They are collaborating with whistle-blowers in the various ministries and agencies"