The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has issued a formal clarification over a typographical error in its earlier press statement concerning the ongoing probe into the administration of Nigeria’s Student Loan Scheme.
In a statement released on Thursday by the Commission’s Chief Education Officer, Demola Bakare, the ICPC acknowledged that a crucial word, “NOT”, was unintentionally omitted from the second-to-last paragraph of the original release, significantly altering its meaning.
Bakare stated, “The omission of the word ‘NOT’ gave an unintended and misleading impression that discrepancies or fund diversion had already been established in the management of the Student Loan Scheme. We sincerely regret this error.”
The corrected paragraph should have read, “The ICPC confirmed that a clear case of discrepancies has NOT been established in the administration of the student loan scheme and announced that its investigation will now extend to beneficiary institutions and individual student recipients.”
The Commission emphasized that, at this stage, its investigation has only tracked the total funds received and disbursed by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund and no concrete evidence of diversion or mismanagement has been found.
“For the avoidance of doubt, no indictments have been made. We are now entering a deeper phase of the investigation which involves assessing institutions and individual beneficiaries,” Bakare stressed.
Reiterating the Commission’s commitment to due process, Bakare stated, “The ICPC does not engage in media trials. We respect the judiciary’s role and remain focused on conducting thorough and objective investigations.”
The Commission called on members of the public to remain patient and support the process.
“Anyone with credible information is encouraged to contact us via info@icpc.gov.ng,” Bakare added.
The error in the earlier statement has since been corrected on the ICPC’s official website.
The Commission assured Nigerians that its investigations are ongoing and that transparency and fairness remain paramount.
