A coalition of 15 Nigerian Civil Society Organizations has officially petitioned the Senate to plug the leaks in the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Amendment Bill, 2025.
During a high-stakes public hearing held on Thursday, February 26, 2026, the coalition submitted a detailed memorandum to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters.
Led by the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), the coalition warned that without specific transparency safeguards, the new law risks creating “unchecked discretion” and undermining the very judicial integrity it seeks to protect.
The CSOs are pushing for a radical shift in how stolen assets are tracked, proposing a publicly accessible digital dashboard. This “live” tracker would allow Nigerians to see exactly what has been recovered, where it is being kept, and how it is being reinvested.
The coalition recommended Legislative Check-ins through Mandatory biannual briefings to the National Assembly on all recovery activities.
A statutory ban on board members and agency officers from bidding for or benefiting from the disposal of recovered assets. Legislative monitoring of how recovered funds are invested before final disposal.It also recommended a shift towards mandatory, open, and competitive processes for the disposal of seized property.
Presenting the memorandum on behalf of the 15 groups, Deputy Executive Director of ANEEJ, Mr. Leo Atakpu,emphasized that asset recovery is a matter of public trust hence,overlapping jurisdictions transparency and the lack of external oversight must be addressed .
Responding,the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Adegbonmire Adeniyi Ayodele, SAN, assured the activists that their recommendations would be carefully reviewed adding that the Committee is committed to fine-tuning the bill to ensure it serves the “common good” before its final consideration by the Senate.
The memorandum was signed by a diverse group of governance watchdogs, including:
ANEEJ (Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice),SERDEC (Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre),CISLAC (Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre),HEDA Resource Center,Policy Alert,HipCity Innovation Centre,Lagos Civil Society Participation for Development (LACSOP),CHRICED,GGT (Good Governance Team Nigeria),21st Century Community Empowerment Initiative,GRACO (Grassroots Center for Rights & Civic Orientation),Dandalin Matasa’s Initiative Keen and Care Initiative,GEE Foundation for Social Justice,NELCCI (New-life Community Care Initiative) and the NISD (New Initiative for Social Development)
