EFCC grills suspended minister, Betta Edu over alleged N585m fraud

EFCC began the grilling of the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, on Tuesday over alleged N585 million fraud in the ministry.

A highly-reliable source at the anti-graft agency confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the minister was at the commission’s headquarters 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,’’ the source said.

President Bola Tinubu suspended the minister on Monday over 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 on-going,’’ the source said.

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

According to the source, the former minister was released on Monday night, but she returned to the EFCC on Tuesday for further interrogation.

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

The source also told NAN that Hajiya Halima Shehu, the suspended National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, 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.