Due to ongoing investigations into issues inside the ministry, the passports of Betta Edu, the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and Sadiya Umar-Farouq, her predecessor, have been confiscated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC.
The former Minister’s and Edu’s passports were confiscated, according to a trustworthy source within the EFCC, to prevent them from leaving the nation while the investigation was ongoing.
The passports of Sadiya Umar-Farouq and Betta Edu, the two former ministers, have been confiscated by the commission.
We have also seized Mrs Halima Shehu’s passport pending the conclusion of investigations. The commission does not want to risk having any of them leave the country while they still have questions to answer,” he said.
It has been reported that Edu arrived at the anti-graft agency’s headquarters around 10 am on Tuesday to answer questions over alleged financial corruption rocking the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Ministry.
The development 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.
Following the uproar from Nigerians, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered Edu’s comprehensive probe and investigation of the ministry’s activities.
On her part, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, the former Minister under then President Muhammadu Buhari, was also quizzed over alleged fraud committed under her watch.
The duo are being investigated for fraud amounting to over N40 billion.
In connection with the Edu and Sadiya Umar-Farouq’s investigation, EFCC summoned the Chief Executive Officers of Zenith, Providus and Jaiz banks to its office on Tuesday.
Halima Shehu, the suspended chief executive officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, is also under investigation by the EFCC.
