CCB Probes Assets of 20 Ministers, 30 Permanent Secretaries in Accountability Push

Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor 

The Code of Conduct Bureau has investigated and verified the assets of more than 20 ministers and 30 permanent secretaries, its chairman Abdullahi Bello has disclosed, signalling a fundamental shift in how Nigeria’s primary asset declaration agency approaches its mandate, moving from passive collection of forms to active examination, investigation and prosecution of public officers suspected of breaching the code of conduct.

Bello made the disclosure on Wednesday in Abuja at an anti-corruption and asset-tracing stakeholders’ workshop organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda in collaboration with the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa. “We are not submitting forms anymore,” Bello said. “Now, we’re examining the forms, we’re also investigating, and we’re also prosecuting.” He said the bureau had interviewed and verified the relations of more than 20 ministers, 30 permanent secretaries, 32 health agencies and other high-profile individuals, inviting public officers to its office for face-to-face examination of their records.

The latest figures represent an expansion of an exercise that has been building since 2025. In June 2026, the CCB announced it had completed verification of asset declarations from 19 ministers, 37 permanent secretaries, 20 heads of agencies and 32 other high-risk public officials, bringing the total to 108. In October 2025, the bureau disclosed that it had verified the assets of nine ministers, 43 permanent secretaries and 40 federal directors. The progression from nine ministers to over 20 reflects an accelerating pace of scrutiny that has placed senior officials of the Tinubu administration under unprecedented examination.

At the heart of the CCB’s approach is a simple but powerful mechanism: compare what an official declares upon assuming office with what they declare at the end of their tenure. “If you see any difference between the beginning and the end, that can only be explained by your non-social income, then we investigate you and prosecute you,” Bello said. The bureau does not wait for an official to leave office before acting. “If there is any allegation against you, we can also investigate. Or if there is intelligence against you, we can also investigate,” he said.

The legal framework underpinning this exercise is clear and consequential. Under the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act and the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, every public officer must submit a truthful and complete declaration of assets and liabilities. False declaration upon verification is deemed a breach of the code of conduct. Violations carry serious consequences, including removal from office, disqualification from holding public office for up to ten years, forfeiture of assets and possible criminal prosecution by agencies such as the EFCC and ICPC. The CCB’s enforcement record in 2026 reflects this escalating posture. The bureau has secured the final forfeiture of a London property linked to a former FCT Minister, arraigned a chief of staff to a state governor before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, and referred numerous cases to the tribunal. It is also investigating at least five local government chairmen for alleged ethics violations, including conflict of interest, reflecting a deliberate push to extend scrutiny beyond the federal level following the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling strengthening local government financial autonomy.

Bello also disclosed that the bureau’s Online Assets and Liabilities Declaration System has been fully developed and is ready for deployment and testing. The digital platform, which will include cryptocurrency in its scope, is intended to serve as the central database for asset declarations by public servants across the country, improving record management, access efficiency and transparency without compromising the privacy and security of declarants. The system is designed to replace the outdated paper-based process that the bureau has acknowledged was inefficient and poorly analysed.

The CCB’s expanded verification exercise comes amid a broader national conversation about corruption and accountability, intensified by the political season. The Presidency has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of corruption over the Mambilla contract, while Atiku’s camp has accused the APC of fabricating a verdict the arbitration tribunal never delivered. The APC Campaign Council has challenged Atiku to explain the legal and fiscal basis of his petrol subsidy proposal, demanding disclosure of its cost and funding. The EFCC has faced its own controversies, with a former lawmaker filing a petition against Atiku and an Abia court case over alleged extortion by police officers. In this charged environment, the CCB’s disclosure that it is actively investigating senior officials of the current administration carries particular weight, signalling that the bureau is prepared to act regardless of political affiliation or position.

At the workshop, HEDA Executive Secretary Arigbabu Sulaimon said the meeting was aimed at strengthening inter-agency collaboration and intelligence sharing in the fight against corruption. He called for greater use of the Proceeds of Crime Act and the CCB’s statutory mechanisms in tracing and recovering illicit assets, and stressed the need for stronger whistleblower protection to encourage individuals to report corruption. The workshop’s focus on asset tracing reflects a growing recognition that the CCB’s mandate extends beyond simply verifying declarations to recovering assets that cannot be explained by legitimate income.

For the ministers and permanent secretaries under scrutiny, the CCB’s expanded verification represents a tangible risk that non-compliance could result in prosecution and forfeiture. For the bureau, the challenge lies in sustaining the momentum of its enforcement push while ensuring that its processes are fair, transparent and insulated from political pressure. The coming months will determine whether the CCB’s shift from form collection to active prosecution produces convictions and forfeitures that deter future misconduct, or whether the exercise becomes another round of verification without consequence. As Bello put it, the era of simply submitting forms is over. What replaces it will define the CCB’s legacy.

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