EFCC grills suspended minister Edu over N585m fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has started interrogating the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, over alleged N585 million fraud in the ministry.

It was gathered that Edu was at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday morning.

“An official invitation by the commission was sent to her on Monday and she honoured the invitation on Tuesday.

“She is being interrogated by the commission and she is expected to give proper insight into the issue at hand,” a source at the anti-graft agency disclosed.

President Bola Tinubu had, on Monday, suspended the minister over the alleged payment of N585 million humanitarian funds meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Cross River, and Ogun states into a private account.

The source added that Edu might be detained or released to go home and return for further interrogation.

“Her release will depend on the investigation team. I cannot say whether she will be released or detained; it depends on the investigators, the investigation is still ongoing,” the source told NAN.

The source added that the former Minister of Social Development, Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, was still being interrogated by the EFCC.

The source disclosed that the former minister was released on Monday night but returned to the EFCC on Tuesday for further interrogation.

Umar-Farouq is being investigated over N37.1 billion allegedly laundered by officials of the ministry during her tenure as minister.

The source said the suspended National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu, was still undergoing investigation at the EFCC.

Shehu was responsible for overseeing the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme initiated by former President Muhammadu Buhari to give succour to vulnerable groups and individuals.

The Star