The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offices Commission (ICPC) has vowed to prosecute its personnel involved in forgery and age falsification scandal.
The agency said this after Daily Trust’s investigative report on the certificate scandal at the anti-graft agency.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, ICPC explained that the verification exercise which is being handled by the Department of State Services (DSS), is still ongoing.
When contacted, Mrs Ogugua specifically said the commission set up its in-house sub-committee for the exercise to hasten the process.
Also, in the rejoinder, she said the anti-graft agency commenced the certificate verification exercise in 2019 with the request by the current Board for screening of all officers by the DSS.
She said, “The Commission will act on the findings and recommendations of its Verification Exercise Committee, including prosecution of offenders, where necessary.”
Mrs Ogugua added, “The verification by the DSS is aimed at making the process independent and transparent. The exercise is on-going and not yet concluded.
“Verification exercises have been conducted in the past by the DSS, and therefore the current exercise is not a new one.
“Another routine verification exercise in all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) was commenced by the Federal Government through the IPPIS earlier in the year, to clear discrepancies in public service personnel records.
“The Commission created an in-house team to carry out verification of its staff records as supplementary to the one set up by the Government.
“This internal verification exercise is still on-going and no report of anomaly has yet been received from the Committee by the Board.
“That being the case the issue of “soft landing” therefore does not arise.”
As of now, no fewer than 50 staff of the commission have so far appeared before the board’s sub-committee on verification of staff certificates and service records where irregularities were discovered in their age and credentials.
