The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has seized the passports of the suspended Poverty Minister, Betta Edu, and her predecessor, Sadiya Umar-Farouq.
A source in the EFCC said the passports of Edu and Umar-Farouk were seized to deter them from fleeing the country while the investigation into the alleged corruption scandal in the ministry continued.
“The commission has seized the passports of the two former ministers, Sadiya Umar-Farouq and Betta Edu.
“We have also seized Mrs Halima Shehu’s passport pending the conclusion of investigations. The commission does not want to risk having them leave the country while they still have questions to answer,” the source said.
This comes after a leaked memo revealed that Edu requested from the Federation’s Accountant General the payment of N585 million meant for vulnerable people into a private account of one Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola.
On her part, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, the former Minister who served under Muhammadu Buhari, was interrogated over alleged fraud committed under her watch.
Halima Shehu, the suspended chief executive officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, is also being investigated by the EFCC.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Zenith, Providus, and Jaiz banks were on Tuesday, January 9 invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for questioning over the N44 billion fraud allegedly uncovered in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
They were quizzed by EFCC interrogators at the commission’s headquarters, Jabi, Abuja.
Also, Halima Shehu, the embattled Co-ordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency domiciled in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation is being probed by the EFCC over an alleged ₦44bn fraud.
Confirming the probe of the senior bank executives, an EFCC source revealed that Zenith, Providus, and Jaiz banks are being questioned over the ₦44.5bn fraud uncovered in the ministry involving Edu and Shehu.
The source said:
“The CEOs and MDs of Zenith Bank, Providus Bank, and Jaiz Bank are currently being grilled by our interrogators here at the headquarters. They were invited and are being probed in connection with the uncovered ₦44bn fraud and the ₦585million involving Halima Shehu and Betta Edu. The suspended minister and the coordinator have both made new revelations during their interrogations, and the investigation is still ongoing.”
Edu was suspended by President Bola Tinubu on Monday, over an alleged N585m cash transfer saga. The suspended minister was invited by the anti-graft agency in compliance with Tinubu’s order that a comprehensive investigation encompassing her activities in the ministry be carried out.
Edu’s predecessor, Sadiya Farouq, was queried by EFCC interrogators on Monday, January 7 over allegations that she laundered N37.1 billion while serving as a minister in former President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet.
