ICPC uncovers account used for six-week degree scam

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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has identified a bank account operated by a foreign individual, allegedly used to receive payments from Nigerians in pursuit of a dubious six-week bachelor’s degree offered abroad.

The revelation was made by the ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, during a stakeholder advocacy forum focused on asset tracing, recovery, and management. The event took place on Tuesday in Abuja and was hosted by the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI), with backing from the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).

“Within some weeks, we were able to discover that a foreigner opened an account in Nigeria while Nigerian students were paying money into the account to obtain that six-week degree,” Aliyu revealed.

“We were able to track the account and obtain a civil forfeiture order. We have been trying to ensure that the culprits are brought to book, especially those that are beyond our shores.”

Aliyu stressed the importance of collaboration among anti-corruption bodies to ensure that financial criminals are denied access to illicit gains.

Also speaking at the event, Dr. Abdullahi Bello, Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), shared that an ongoing audit of asset declarations by over 10,000 public officials has revealed that nearly 20 percent of them contain false information.

From a continental perspective, GIABA’s Director-General, Edwin Harris, raised concerns about the increasing outflow of illicit funds from Africa. Referring to a report led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki under the UN Economic Commission for Africa, Harris noted that previous estimates of $50 billion lost annually have surged, now ranging between $88 billion and $94 billion.

Umar Yakubu, Executive Director of CeFTPI, said the forum gathered critical players from anti-corruption bodies, the judiciary, civil society, and international organizations to develop new strategies for transparency, citizen participation, and accountability in the process of asset recovery.

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