The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is currently investigating corruption allegations against suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Betta Edu and her predecessor Sadiya Umar-Farouq.
The passports of both ministers, Edu and Umar-Farouq, have been seized by the EFCC until the conclusion of investigations.
EFCC seized Edu’s personal and official passports, preventing her from traveling out of the country.
Ms. Umar-Farouq was interrogated for 12 hours on Monday, focusing on the alleged laundering of N37.1 billion. Additionally, three bank CEOs were questioned by the anti-graft agency over their suspected involvement in fraudulent fund transfers from the ministry.
Ms. Edu, who arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja at 10 am on Tuesday, was still under questioning as of past 7 pm.
Background
The ongoing investigations are looking into the controversial movement of N44 billion in December 2023 without executive approval.
The scandal involving Edu unfolded after a leaked memo exposed that she instructed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer N585m to a private account owned by Oniyelu Bridget.
The ministry claimed that Bridget currently serves as the Project Accountant for Grants for Vulnerable Groups.
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Edu asserted that the N585m payment was intended for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states, dismissing the allegations against her as baseless.
In a statement, the minister’s Media Assistant, Rasheed Olarewaju, defended the legality of making such payments into private accounts of staff members, especially project accountants, within the civil service.
Responding to public pressure, the President suspended Edu on Monday and instructed her to hand over to the permanent secretary in the ministry.