No fewer than 38 operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) are presently undergoing a 3-day training workshop on Asset Tracing and Investigation.
The training which is taking place at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja is expected to expose the participants to the current national and international trends in assets tracing and investigation as well as ramp up ICPCs’ seizure and forfeiture activities.
In his speech during the opening ceremony, ICPC Chairman, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, underscored the importance of the training saying that it was aimed at creating a pool of specialists for the Commission in the area of focus by developing skills and expertise in the participants.
Professor Owasanoye explained that the Commission was investing in training outstanding staff that were committed to their work, and to help secure the future of ICPC by developing new skills required to always be a step or two ahead of criminal elements. “We must educate ourselves on the new ways of stealing money so as to be ahead of the criminals and not the criminals ahead of us. Our fervent expectation is that this training will change your perception, further build your capacity, impact positively on your work and make each of you an asset to ICPC,” the ICPC Chairman said.
The Commission’s boss also noted that Asset Tracing goes beyond tracing physical structures. According to him, it includes detecting how monies are moved into stocks; crypto currencies; shares; etc.
Facilitators for the programme were drawn from Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler(KPMG); White Collar Practice, School of Oriental and African Studies University of London; Federal Inland Revenue Service(FIRS); University of Kent UK; Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU); Federal Ministry of Justice among others.