The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) is preparing to roll out a digital asset and liability declaration system aimed at enhancing transparency, reducing bureaucratic delays, and strengthening anti-corruption measures in Nigeria’s public service, according to the agency’s Chairman, Abdullahi Bello.

Speaking at a validation workshop in Abuja on Tuesday, Bello said the initiative is intended to replace the traditional paper-based system, which he described as “seldom analysed or used as tools against illicit enrichment.”

He added, “The old story must end. For too long, asset declaration has been seen as a bureaucratic ritual—forms hurriedly filled and forgotten, rarely analysed and rarely used as the powerful anti-corruption tool it was meant to be. This ends with the new ALDS.”

Bello explained that the platform will connect multiple national databases, including those of the Corporate Affairs Commission, land registries, and financial institutions, enabling real-time verification of public officers’ assets.

He added that the system will automatically flag undeclared companies, properties, and income streams, reducing dependence on manual reporting.

“By integrating with available databases, we will be able to discover assets in real time. You won’t need to tell us every property or company you own. The system will show it,” he said.

The chairman further noted that the Bureau plans to implement a graded service fee for political office holders and senior public servants to ensure sustainability, while junior staff or those unable to pay would receive waivers.

“We want an honest fee that is graded, with waivers for low-level public servants. We want to free ourselves from the burden of budget dependency,” he said.

Bello highlighted that the reform builds on the work of the CCB’s Forensic Accounting Unit, which currently analyses asset declarations submitted by former public officers.

He said the digital system will enhance the Bureau’s ability to monitor and enforce compliance with Nigeria’s anti-corruption framework.

Senator Neda Imasuen, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, praised the Bureau’s progress, particularly the introduction of a sustainable funding model.

Imasuen noted that the agency has struggled for years to fund basic administrative processes, such as printing paper declaration forms.

“I have always wondered why CCB wakes up in the morning and looks for funds all over the place to print forms so you and I can fill them out for free. It’s time we depart from this. We can pay a nominal amount for the form you’re coming to fill so the Bureau does not keep begging for funds to do what it ought to be doing,” he said.

The CCB has historically relied on a paper-based system that has faced criticism for inefficiency, vulnerability to abuse, and limited capacity for data analysis. Bello confirmed that the digital platform will become fully operational after validation, review, and stakeholder harmonisation.

He emphasized that the initiative marks a significant step forward in Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen accountability in public office.

“Will Nigeria finally have a world-class, corruption-resistant asset declaration system that serves both public servants and the Nigerian people? My answer, and I believe yours, is a resounding YES,” he stated.

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday ordered comprehensive aerial security patrols across forests in Kwara State after a surge in kidnappings and terrorist attacks.

His Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, disclosed this in a post on his verified X account, stating that the President has instructed the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to scale up surveillance over the deepest sections of the forests where criminal groups are believed to be hiding.

He said the deployment will run continuously, with air assets maintaining real-time communication and coordination with ground forces.

Dare added that the same directive extends to the Kebbi and Niger corridors, where joint operations are expected to aid the rescue of abducted persons.

Communities in the affected areas, he noted, have also been encouraged to quickly share intelligence on unusual activities to support security operations.

A recent surge of violent abductions and raids across Kwara, Kebbi and Niger States has highlighted the expanding reach of criminal networks exploiting remote forests and poorly governed spaces.

Tinubu’s instruction for uninterrupted air surveillance paired with coordinated ground action is described as an urgent and necessary step to dismantle these groups, free captives and restore public confidence.

Dare wrote in part:

“President Tinubu has ordered total security cordon over the forests in Kwara State following recent kidnappings and terrorist activities.

“President Tinubu directed the airforce to expand its air surveillance across the innermost parts of the forests in Kwara State where it is believed the terrorists are hiding.

“They are to maintain a 24-hour surveillance and link up with the booths on the ground. This order equally applies to the Kebbi and Niger States axis where many are expected to be rescued.

“Communities are also urged to provide timely information about strange movements and activities to aide the work of the security forces.”

The Presidency further revealed that intensified pressure from both the military and the Department of State Services (DSS) over the weekend led to the release of the 38 church members kidnapped in Eruku, Kwara State.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said a non-kinetic strategy was used to secure the freedom of the 38 abducted worshippers.

In a statement appreciating the military and the DSS, Onanuga noted that the gunmen understood that failing to cooperate would have resulted in them being “pummelled”.

He explained:

“After the incident, the DSS and the military were involved in the rescue effort. They got in contact with the bandits to release the captives unharmed.

“On Sunday, they were able to get them out unharmed. They do have a way of tracking these people.

“The security agencies have a way of contacting these people. They (bandits) know the consequences of not acquiescing to government demands. They know they could be pummelled.”

Onanuga stressed that using force would have been dangerous because terrorists tend to hide behind abductees as “human shields”, increasing the risk of “collateral damage”.

He added that striking the criminals’ hideout could have endangered the hostages.

The presidential aide also stated that the military will determine “the next line of action” regarding the kidnappers.

The freed victims were seized from the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Eruku, Kwara State on November 18, 2025, and the Director-General of DSS, Adeola Ajayi, briefed President Tinubu on November 21 about the worsening national security situation.

Tinubu had announced on Sunday that all abductees had been released after receiving detailed security updates from top military and intelligence chiefs at the State House in Abuja.

Bandits have launched another violent attack in Kwara State, abducting 11 residents, including a pregnant woman, nursing mothers, and several young children, during a raid on Isapa community in Ekiti Local Government Area on Monday evening.

The assault occurred just two days after the government announced the rescue of 38 worshippers kidnapped during an attack on the Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, a nearby community that has suffered repeated incursions in recent weeks.

Residents said between 20 and 30 armed men stormed Isapa around 6 p.m., firing continuously as they moved through the town with a herd of cattle. An elderly woman was hit by a stray bullet, and homes were left riddled with bullet holes. Locals later recovered expended AK-47 shells across the area.

Community leaders, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, confirmed that 11 people were taken, seven of them from one family. The abducted victims include children as young as five, two nursing mothers, and a 22-year-old pregnant woman.

The victims were identified as Talatu Kabiru (20), Magaji (6), Kande (5), Hadiza (10), Mariam (6), Saima (5), Habibat (housewife), Fatima Yusufu (housewife), Sarah Sunday (22, pregnant), Lami Fidelis (23, nursing mother), and Haja Na Allah (nursing mother).

Witnesses reported that the attackers retreated through bush paths linking Isapa and Eruku to neighbouring settlements, leaving residents terrified and uncertain about what might follow.

Monday’s incident deepens tension along the Kwara–Kogi border, where communities have faced a surge of kidnappings and armed invasions.

Police authorities in the state have yet to release a formal statement or provide updates on the rescue effort, leaving families anxiously awaiting official word on the search operations.

The House of Representatives convened a special plenary session on Tuesday to address Nigeria’s escalating security challenges, admitting a delegation from St. Kitts and Nevis, led by its Speaker Lanein Blanchette, as well as representatives from the United States Embassy.

The session aims to review a consolidated Internal Assessment compiled by several House committees, detailing recent security incidents, emerging trends, oversight outcomes, and the implementation of past resolutions.

Committees on defence, national security and intelligence, police affairs, human rights, interior, foreign affairs, women’s affairs, youth development, and emergency and disaster preparedness are also scheduled to deliver evidence-based briefings.

A formal resolution summarising agreed interventions, timelines, and oversight mechanisms is expected to be issued at the conclusion of the proceedings.

In his opening remarks, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas reaffirmed that Nigeria’s sovereignty “is not up for negotiation,” while acknowledging the country’s longstanding partnership with the United States.

He expressed the House’s readiness to collaborate with the US government on matters affecting Nigeria’s security architecture.

Abbas further highlighted that the House is carefully considering the proposed Religious Freedom Accountability Bill, noting that both Christian and Muslim communities have been targets of terrorist attacks.

He also drew attention to recent military coups in neighbouring West African countries, describing them as developments that require close monitoring.

Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu announced that within the next six months, the House plans to pass legislation prohibiting ransom negotiations, criminalizing government officials who authorize unstructured amnesty deals, and establishing clear disarmament criteria. Kalu also called for an investigation into alleged government negotiations with bandits and the payment of ransoms.

The special session comes amid heightened insecurity nationwide, including the mass abduction of students in Kebbi and Niger states and the attack on Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Eruku, Kwara State.

These incidents have led to school closures in parts of northern Nigeria and sparked criticism from opposition parties and civil society over the government’s handling of security challenges.

Last week, the US Congress held a public hearing on Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) following rising insecurity. Victims, lawmakers, and other stakeholders testified on the escalating abductions, destruction of properties, and killings in recent years.

In response to the insecurity, police have intensified security measures in schools and places of worship, while six southwest governors recently met in Ibadan for a closed-door discussion on coordinated security interventions following the attack on the CAC church in Kwara State.

Tuesday’s plenary reflects the House’s growing determination to address the nation’s security crisis through legislative oversight, international collaboration, and targeted policy reforms.