As part of the ongoing investigation into an alleged N44.5 billion fraud within federal ministries, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has seized the passport of the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, and that ofher predecessor, Sadiya Umar-Farouq.
Edu, who presented herself at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday underwent intense interrogation related to the uncovered N44billion fraud.
The probe also extended to the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Managing Directors (MDs) of Zenith Bank, Providus Bank, and Jaiz Bank, as they were whisked away for questioning regarding their involvement in the scandal.
The outrage came to light following a leaked memo indicating that Edu directed the transfer of N585million to a private account, owned by Oniyelu Bridget, purportedly for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun and Lagos States, which she was said to have initially dismissed as baseless allegations, asserting that such transactions were within the legal framework of the civil service.
In response to public pressure, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu suspended Edu on Monday and instructed her to cooperate with the EFCC for investigations.
Consequently, her passports were seized during the EFCC’s interrogation, preventing her from leaving the country during the ongoing investigation.
Similarly, Sadiya Umar-Farouq’s passport was also seized as part of the conditions for her release after sha had faced a 12-hour questioning session on Monday over allegations of laundering N37.1 billion during her tenure.
Halima Shehu, the Coordinator and CEO of the National Social Investment Programme Agency was also implicated in the N44billion fraud scandal and was earlier arrested. Following her release, she is mandated to report to the EFCC daily as the investigation progresses.
Executive Chairman, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, notes that the agency remains committed to tracing the suspicious transactions and unravelling the full extent of the alleged financial misconduct within the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and every other ones later discovered to have mishandled public funds.
