The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) says it is currently probing corruption allegations involving former ministers, serving senior government officials, and other top public office holders at both federal and state levels.
Abubakar Bello, chairman of the bureau, disclosed this on Sunday during an interview with NAN.
He said some of the investigations concern individuals with considerable political influence.
“We have started investigating high-profile individuals. There is a former minister we have already taken to court,” he said.
“Right now, we are investigating another former minister and also a serving top government official.
“I won’t mention names because we are still at the investigation stage. We don’t want to turn it into a media trial.”
Bello revealed that the bureau has secured interim forfeiture orders from courts and recovered assets in cases involving local government chairmen and senior state officials.
He dismissed claims that Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts target only low-level offenders, stressing that politically exposed persons are also subject to investigation.
According to him, all probes are conducted strictly within the law, noting that the bureau does not act under public pressure or political influence.
‘WHY WE AVOID MEDIA TRIAL’
Explaining the bureau’s reluctance to publicise ongoing cases, Bello warned that early media exposure could irreparably harm reputations before investigations are concluded.
“From my experience working with the EFCC, sometimes people write frivolous petitions,” he said.
“Once the media starts reporting it, the person is already labelled corrupt.
“But, if investigations later show he is innocent, his name is already damaged. That is why we only speak when we are ready to go to court.”
Bello said asset declaration remains the CCB’s key tool for uncovering corruption among public officials.
“Every public officer is required to declare assets at the beginning and at the end of their tenure. It is within this window that corruption is detected,” the CCB chairman said.
“If you declare your assets at the beginning of your tenure and we verify it, we don’t have any issue with you again until the end of your tenure.
“But if at the end of your tenure you suddenly move from N10 million to N200 million and you cannot explain the source of that increase, that is where we come in.”
He added that the bureau’s investigations are also triggered by petitions and allegations from members of the public.
Responding to concerns about Nigeria’s poor anti-corruption ranking, Bello attributed the challenge to institutional limitations such as insufficient funding, manpower shortages, and reliance on manual systems.