CCB Warns Against ‘Anticipatory’ Asset Declarations by Public Officers

The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has raised the alarm over a growing trend in which some public officers declare assets that do not yet exist, in an apparent bid to legitimise future illicit acquisitions.

Speaking at the launch of the Virtual Tool on the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, the CCB disclosed that in one case, a property valued at over ₦3 billion was listed on an asset declaration form before it had even been built.

The Bureau warned that such anticipatory declarations are being used to cover the tracks of corrupt activities long before they occur, urging for more robust measures to detect and prevent them.

“Corruption is evolving so must our methods of fighting it,” the statement read, stressing the need for innovation, deeper investigation, and the closing of loopholes in asset declaration processes.