The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has disclosed that it has started taking into custody civil servants who live beyond their earnings, adding that it seized 61 houses from one female public servant.
The commission further revealed that it would soon make public list of most corrupt Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
The Chairman of the ICPC, Mr. Ekpo Nta, made this known on Friday while addressing participants of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies at the Abuja headquarters of the agency.
Speaking on the theme, ‘The role of the ICPC in the War Against Corruption: Mandate, Strategies and Challenges’, Nta pointed out that, “We are developing scorecard like Transparency International which rates countries as to the level of corruption of countries. We have developed one for ministries departments and agencies. Hopefully, we know those who will take the first prize.”
He added that once the 2016 Budget is passed, the ICPC would follow every event on how monies will be spent.
He said that the commission had begun prosecuting public servants that live beyond their means.
“From one of the employees of one of the organisations, we seized about 61 or 62 houses in an estate. The matter is in court so I can’t say too much but I want to say that the officer was not a man.
“We do prosecution but also try to seize the assets acquired (through corrupt means) so that apart from prosecution, we can strip you of the assets within and outside the country,” he said.
Nta also said the ICPC is also investigating cases of sexual harassment by some university lecturers who demand sex from female students in return for good grades.
He noted that in as much as it was the function of the police to handle cases of sexual harassment and rape, it was also the role of the ICPC to investigate cases bordering on abuse of office.
Nta added, “We have special teams that investigate universities here. Quite a number of students that have spent more than the statutory period, like young girls who have spent eight years for a four-year programme because they refused to do what should not be done. We got involved and they have graduated and we are still looking at the possibility of prosecution.”
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