A three-volume legal study by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr. Wahab Kunle Shittu, is set to examine the legal, institutional and societal dimensions of unexplained wealth in the country.
The book titled: “Unexplained Wealth in Nigeria, seeks to propose reforms to strengthen asset recovery and accountability.
The trilogy will be publicly presented on Monday, September 28, 2026, by 11:00 am, at The Ball Room, Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
According to the book’s brief, the 54-chapter work examines the legal foundations of unexplained wealth enforcement, its manifestations across key sectors of the Nigerian economy and the safeguards required to protect citizens whose legitimately acquired wealth may come under scrutiny.
The work is divided into three volumes. Volume I, Law, Prosecution and the Recovery of Illicit Assets, examines the constitutional and international foundations of unexplained wealth enforcement, including issues surrounding prosecution, asset recovery and the evidential challenges involved in establishing illicit wealth.
Volume II, Sectoral Manifestations, Governance and Reform, examines unexplained wealth across areas including the foreign exchange and capital markets, taxation, healthcare, elections, terrorist financing, public institutions, the power sector and the petroleum industry.
The volume also considers the relationship between unexplained wealth and broader economic and governance issues, including capital flight, debt, currency reforms, fuel subsidy removal and recent government policies.
Its chapters further examine unexplained wealth and election integrity, illicit foreign financing, political elites, terrorist financing and corruption in the petroleum and power sectors. The book also considers the impact of unexplained wealth on social trust and societal values.
Volume III, titled Explained Wealth in the Age of Suspicion, shifts the focus to the rights of individuals called upon to account for their wealth. It explores how legitimate wealth can be established while balancing anti-corruption enforcement with constitutional rights, economic freedom and due process.
A central proposition of the trilogy is the Three-Tier Test for Explained Wealth, based on lawful source, documentary coherence and proportionality.
The framework is anchored on Sections 36 and 44 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The work also proposes an Anti-Weaponisation Framework, aimed at guarding against the misuse of anti-corruption mechanisms for political purposes.
The author maintains that the work is neither a brief for the state nor an apology for persons accused of wrongdoing, but an attempt to establish a balance between effective enforcement and the protection of lawful wealth.
The trilogy contains proposed legislative interventions, including a draft Nigeria Antigraft Commission (Establishment) Bill, a draft law on Unexplained Wealth Orders and an Executive Summary proposing a Presidential Committee on Lifestyle Audit.
The book’s development was informed by Shittu’s professional engagements with Nigeria’s anti-corruption institutions.
He recalled that in 2023, he was invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to deliver a paper on the prosecution of unexplained wealth at an EFCC/National Judicial Institute capacity-building workshop for judges.
He subsequently presented a paper on asset seizure and forfeiture under Nigeria’s anti-corruption laws at an Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) workshop for judges.
The author said the work emerged from these professional engagements, combined with extensive research and his experience in the prosecution of financial crimes.
He described the book as both a scholarly contribution and a practical resource for judges, prosecutors, policymakers, legislators, anti-corruption agencies and other stakeholders involved in the protection and recovery of public resources.
Dr. Wahab Kunle Shittu, SAN, is a lawyer, scholar and academic whose career spans close to four decades at the Nigerian Bar.
He obtained his LL.B and LL.M degrees from the University of Lagos and has been a member of the institution’s Faculty of Law since 2005.
He is also Counsel to the EFCC and the ICPC, giving him professional exposure to Nigeria’s legal and institutional responses to financial crimes and corruption.
The presentation of the trilogy is expected to bring together prominent figures from the legal, political, academic and traditional institutions.
Former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, is listed as chairman of the occasion, while former Vice-President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, GCON, SAN, is scheduled to deliver the reflective remarks. Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, SAN, former Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, is the book reviewer.
The occasion will also feature HRH Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II, while Channels Television anchors Seun Okinbaloye and Shola Soleye are listed as anchors.
