The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), otherwise known as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission is a Nigerian agency that was inaugurated on 29th September 2000 following the recommendation of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The mandate is to receive and investigate reports of corruption and in appropriate cases, prosecute the offenders, examine, review and enforce the correction of corruption prone systems and procedures of public bodies, with a view to eliminating corruption in public life, educate and enlighten the public on and against corruption and related offenses with a view to enlisting and fostering public support for the fight against corruption.
The Corrupt Practices and other Related Offenses Act 2000 governs the committee’s activities.
In 2003, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was established as a law enforcement agency to investigate financial crimes such as advance fee fraud (419 fraud) and money laundering.
While the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) targets corruption in the public sector, especially bribery, gratification, graft, and abuse or misuse of office, the EFCC investigates people in all sectors who appear to be living above their means, and is empowered to investigate and prosecute money laundering and other financial crimes.
The EFCC tracks illicit wealth accruing from abuse of office, especially attempts to integrate such wealth into the financial system. There have been tensions between the two commissions.
The ICPC Chairman, Justice Emmanuel Ayoola, has complained about duplication of the functions of ICPC by the EFCC, particularly overlap between the ICPC Anti-Corruption and Transparency Monitoring Units and the EFCC Anti-Corruption and Transparency Committees.
In the first three years of its existence, the ICPC received a total of 942 petitions. In August 2003 about 400 of the petitions were under investigation, and about 60 were at various stages of prosecution.
After the first four years, however, the ICPC had failed to make any major convictions. Justice Akanbi blamed the lack of progress in part on severe underfunding, in part on the fact that the commission were not authorized to investigate corrupt activity prior to the date the ICPC was founded.
The ICPC has prosecuted a number of prominent Nigerians. Some examples are Ghali Umar Na’Abba, speaker of the House of Representatives (2002), Fabian Osuji, head of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education (2006).
In June 2004, Justice Mustapha Akanbi said that although several petitions were written against state governors, the ICPC was not empowered to investigate governors involved in corrupt practices.
However, in August 2008 Emmanuel Ayoola said the commission would soon issue a list of former state governors found to have violated the provisions of the ICPC Act 2000.
He noted that some of them were already being prosecuted for money laundering, and said the ICPC was scrutinizing the file to see whether there are cases they could pursue.
In August 2009 the ICPC started investigations into an alleged N90 billion fraud levelled against managers of a Pension Fund for retirees in the health sector.
In September 2009, the ICPC summoned officials of the Ministry of Education linked with the alleged mismanagement of N1 billion meant for the Education Reform Programme.
In March 2015, ICPC made public the status of criminal cases within its precinct as at March 2015. The list contained 267 criminal cases between 2001 and 2015, and 142 civil cases between 2007 and 2015. Indeed, the job of the ICPC is really an important role in the Nation as a whole.
Requirements
- Interested applicants must be a Nigerian Citizen
- Certificate of State of Origin must be duly signed
- Candidates with a bad criminal record will not be accepted
- Applicants must possess Birth certificate or age declaration certificate
- Interested candidates must have good communication and interpersonal skills
- Strong team spirit and excellent analytical skills
- Applicants must not have a history of being involved in any criminal activities in the past
- Computer literacy is an added advantage
- Interested applicants must be of good behaviour and composure
- Applicants must possess of B.Sc., HND, NCE, OND certificate from a recognized institution
- Applicant interested in the ICPC recruitment must not be over 35 years at the time of application
- Applicants must be willing to work in a new environment
- Interested applicants must be physically and mentally fit
- All candidates must have a valid means of identification such as a valid driver licence, National Identification Card, International passport, Voter’s card
- Applicants must have SSCE, NECO, or GCE with credits in not less than five subjects including Mathematics and English.
- Applicants must possess a NYSC Discharge certificate.
- Professional certification is compulsory for those applying for references. 001-003 (shown below)
Job Positions
Interested Applicants have the choice of choosing any position they wish to apply for provided they have necessary credentials and what it takes to carry out their duties. Such positions include:
- Assistant Director (Ref.001)
- Principal Officer (Ref.002)
- Senior Officer (Ref.003)
- Officer 1 (Ref.004)
- Officer 2 (Ref.005)
- Senior Executive Officer (Ref.006)
- Executive Officer (Ref.007)
How to Apply
- Visit the official recruitment portal at https://icpc.gov.ng/ and complete the prescribed application form free of charge.
- Fill in your details
- Upload required documents and submit the application form
- Print out the registration slip
Shortlisted candidates would be required to undergo the following:
i. Background check to ascertain their suitability for employment
ii. Select Military training/drilling and investigation to ascertain their fitness
iii. Polygraph test.
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