The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr. Musa Aliyu, has warned that corruption, once allowed to take root, becomes difficult and costly to address — a reality he says underlines the urgent need for stronger preventive measures at all levels of government.

“If we allow corruption to happen, it becomes very difficult to cure, especially because of the slow litigation process in the country,” Aliyu said on Monday in Ilorin, Kwara State.

He made the remarks during the Conference of State Attorneys-General in Nigeria’s North-Central zone, where he also disclosed that the ICPC recovered more than N20 billion in cash and assets from corrupt individuals in 2024.

The conference, themed “Strengthening Subnational Synergies for Corruption Prevention: Advancing the National Anti-Corruption Strategy in Nigeria’s North Central Region”, brought together key legal and justice stakeholders to strengthen state-level anti-corruption frameworks.

Aliyu emphasized that corruption is not confined to federal institutions but is also deeply rooted in state and local government systems.

He noted that prevention remains the most strategic approach to saving the country’s assets, institutions, and public trust.

“We all know that the judicial process in Nigeria is too slow because of the volume of cases.

“That is why prevention is key. But if it eventually happens, we will now go for enforcement — investigation and prosecution,” he said.

The ICPC boss also stressed the commission’s commitment to ensuring that recovered assets — especially those traced abroad — are protected from re-looting.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Dr. Abdullahi Bello, said corruption continues to undermine governance and development, urging Attorneys-General to lead subnational reforms in alignment with national anti-corruption goals.

Bello revealed that the CCB is developing an online asset declaration platform to modernise compliance and boost transparency among public officials.

In his address, Kwara State Attorney-General, Senior Sulyman, pledged the state’s continued support for anti-corruption initiatives, while federal lawmakers present at the event — including Kayode Akiolu and Sen. Emmanuel Udende — reaffirmed legislative backing for enforcement and preventive measures.

Kwara Chief Judge, Justice Abiodun Adebara, concluded that the anti-corruption fight must prioritise systemic prevention, stating, “The fight against corruption should not be punitive but preventive, because it poses a threat to the rule of law.”

The conference was attended by Attorneys-General from Plateau, Kogi, Niger, and Nasarawa states, as well as other senior legal and judicial officers from across the North-Central region.