N120m bribery scandal rocks ICPC

A departmental head and two investigative staff of the Independent Corrupt Prac­tices and other related of­fences Commission (ICPC), have run into trouble for al­legedly collecting N120 mil­lion bribe from an accused staff of the Federal Ministry of Works. The staff is alleg­edly being investigated by the anti-graft agency.

Sources at the commis­sion told Daily Sun that the staff, including a head of department in the commis­sion allegedly collected the money from the accused after which they returned a-no-case submission against the staff.

Our reporter findings, also revealed that a staff of the Federal Ministry of Works petitioned the commission, alleging that some staff of the ministry had embezzled about N1 billion from the ministry’s capital vote and requested that the anti-cor­ruption agency investigate the officers involved.

Following the petition, the commission assigned the case to two of its in­vestigators to follow up on the case and ascertain the veracity or otherwise of the allegations contained in the petition.

Rather than conscien­tiously investigate the al­legations contained in the petition, the investigators allegedly struck a deal with the accused and were paid N30 million each, while the head of a department alleg­edly received N60 million to return a positive verdict in favour of the suspect.

However, following clearing of the accused by ICPC officials, the peti­tioner who is also a staff of the Ministry of Works, pe­titioned the Presidency, al­leging complicity of ICPC officials in the clearing of the suspect.