The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has warned against undermining the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy.
The ICPC chairman, Musa Aliyu, gave the warning in an interview with journalists in Abuja.
“For any person at the state level to breach that decision is gross misconduct, which is an abuse of office,” said Mr Aliyu. “We at ICPC, we are going after anybody that goes against the decision of the Supreme Court on the issue of local government autonomy.’’
Mr Aliyu spoke on the sidelines of the sixth General Assembly of the Network of National Anti-corruption Instructions in West Africa (NACIWA) in Abuja.
The Supreme Court had on July 11 granted local governments across the country autonomy.
Mr Aliyu, earlier at the event, identified corruption as a borderless crime that required concerted efforts of nations.
He also maintained that the objectives and guiding principles of NACIWA gave hope and confidence and indicated readiness to tackle corruption by member nations.
“Effective use of technology and digital tools will assist anti-corruption operatives in the onerous task of taming this monster and dismantling the corruption networks,” he said.
According to him, the sophisticated nature that corruption has assumed regionally and globally calls for innovations, strategising and collaboration.
“To this end, NACIWA must embrace the use of technology and digital devices in the implementation of the ECOWAS PROTOCOL to tackle the menace of corruption in our sub-region and our individual countries,’’ Mr Aliyu said.
The ICPC boss also stressed the importance of sharing knowledge, intelligence, and training to fill the knowledge gap in the fight against corruption in the sub-region.
“I hereby advise that the time is right for NACIWA to consider bringing anti-corruption practitioners in our different jurisdictions together for training and exchanging ideas.
“This is a veritable means of closing the knowledge gap between us and ultimately being able to dismantle the corruption gangs in our sub-region,” he said.
(NAN)
