By Emman Ovuakporie & Johnbosco Agbakwuru

CHAIRMAN of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Mr. Ekpo Nta, says the Commission has  received 942 petitions on corruption matters.

The ICPC Chairman, who disclosed this when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption during the presentation of  the 2015 Budget performance and defence of the 2016 Budget proposals, also told the Committee that the Commission lacked  forensic laboratory to expedite investigations.

Nta said his Commission had decided not to seek assistance from outside the country so as not to create the room for international bodies to dictate to the committee.

He explained that some of the 942 petitions had nothing to do with his office and he decided to channel them to the appropriate quarters, adding that investigations had been concluded on 384 of the petitions, 59 charged to court and had secured convictions on five.

The ICPC boss said that the Commission always tried to be guided by the Human Rights Act and strictly observed the spirit of rule of law and due process  in carrying out its assignment.

He said that the collaboration between the Commission and the National Universities Commission, NUC, helped in fishing out 26 universities that had given the country bad names.