The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has investigated and verified the assets of more than 20 ministers and 30 permanent secretaries as it steps up scrutiny of public officers and moves beyond simply collecting asset declaration forms.
CCB Chairman, Abdullahi Bello, disclosed this on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at an anti-corruption and asset-tracing stakeholders’ workshop in Abuja organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) in collaboration with the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF).
Bello said the bureau had changed its approach from receiving declarations to actively examining the information provided, investigating suspected breaches and prosecuting offenders.
“We are not submitting forms anymore. Now, we’re examining the forms, we’re also investigating, and we’re also prosecuting,” he said on September 23, 2026.
According to Bello, the CCB invites public officers to its office for face-to-face examination of their records as part of the verification process.
He explained that declarations made when an official assumes office could be compared with the officer’s assets at the end of the tenure. Where unexplained differences are identified, the bureau can investigate and prosecute.
Bello also said the CCB does not have to wait until an official leaves office before commencing an investigation. He said the bureau could act where it receives an allegation or intelligence concerning a public officer.
The chairman said the verification exercise had covered high-profile public officers, including ministers and permanent secretaries, as well as officials from 32 health agencies and other senior government officials.
The latest disclosure comes after the CCB announced in June 2026 that it had completed verification of asset declarations from 19 ministers, 37 permanent secretaries, 20 heads of agencies and 32 other high-risk public officials. At the time, Bello also said the bureau had referred cases to the Code of Conduct Tribunal and secured forfeiture of assets, including a property in London.
The bureau has also been developing a digital system to strengthen the asset declaration process. In June 2026, Bello said the Online Assets and Liabilities Declaration System was 100% developed and ready for deployment and testing. The platform is intended to serve as a central database for asset declarations by public servants across Nigeria.
The CCB’s latest enforcement push comes as anti-corruption agencies and civil society groups seek stronger systems for tracing and recovering illicit assets. HEDA said the September 23 workshop was designed to improve inter-agency intelligence sharing, asset tracing and recovery, as well as whistleblower protection.
