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Some criminals,
apparently targeting the asset declaration forms filled and submitted
for safe keeping by civil servants and other public office holders,
have carried out a raid on the offices of the Code of Conduct Bureau in
Abuja. Although the criminals failed to access any asset declaration
form, they made away with laptops and cash during the raid on the
premises of the Assets Declaration Department of the Code of Conduct
Bureau (CCB), located at Asokoro early in the week.

While CCB’s
corporate headquarters is located under the Presidency, and situated at
Phase II of the Federal Secretariat in Garki, its office specifically
responsible for the issuance, submission and safe keeping of asset
declarations is situated at Asokoro, a distance of about five
kilometres. Confirming the incident to our correspondent in a telephone
conversation on Thursday, the Head, Press and Public Relations Unit of
CCB, Idowu Jokpeyibo, said no arrest had been made as at Thursday by
the police even as no asset declaration form was taken away by the
saboteurs. As exclusively reported in NEXT on Sunday of July 4, 2010,
the conduct bureau is presently overwhelmed with petitions from members
of the public alleging false declarations of assets against many
federal and state public office holders.

Despite the fact
that the Code of Conduct Bureau Act does not permit the public
knowledge of assets declared by public servants, a deluge of petitions
from citizens who are privileged to know what some public servants
secretly declared as assets are being forwarded to CCB on daily basis,
revealing hidden facts and figures. According to the Chairman of CCB,
Sam Saba, the situation has now forced the federal government to
constitute a 25-man team of officials across the country to investigate
from state to state such petitions against asset declarations of
citizens. It is therefore not known as at press time whether the
burglars that raided the Asokoro office were working for public
servants who have petitions against their declaration forms or not.

No form stolen

“The security men
on duty were overpowered and the offices turned upside down,” said Mrs.
Jokpeyibo. “The matter was reported to the Asokoro Police Station which
personnel have taken photographs, finger prints, and interviewed the
staff and security men on duty when the office was burgled. While the
police authority had since commenced investigation not only to
ascertain what was stolen but also to establish the motive of the
thieves, we wish to inform the general public that only two laptops of
staff and some cash belonging to a staff were removed. No Asset
Declaration Form was taken away as alleged.”

Paragraph 3, part I of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria empowers the Bureau to receive
declarations by public officers, examine the declarations in accordance
with the requirement of the Code of Conduct or any law, retain custody
of such declarations and make them available for inspection by any
citizen of Nigeria on such terms and conditions as the National
Assembly may prescribe. According to Mrs Jokpeyibo, the Bureau is doing
all within its power to ensure the safety of the forms and to maintain
the general security of staff and properties.