Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)

In September 2000, President Olusegun Obasanjo signed the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, establishing the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). This marked Nigeria's first dedicated anti-corruption agency since the return to civilian rule in 1999. Justice Mustapha Akanbi was appointed as the commission's inaugural chairman, tasked with investigating and prosecuting corruption cases across public institutions.

The ICPC's creation reflected mounting pressure on Obasanjo's administration to address Nigeria's reputation for endemic corruption, which had worsened during military rule from 1983 to 1999. International donors and creditors, particularly the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, had made anti-corruption reforms a condition for debt relief and development assistance. Domestic civil society groups and the media also demanded concrete action against the systemic graft that had undermined public trust in government institutions.