The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has invited the recently suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, to its headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, News About Nigeria reports.
This move follows President Bola Tinubu’s announcement of Edu’s suspension from office, which was conveyed through the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.
An authoritative source within the EFCC confirmed the development, stating that the Chairman of the anti-graft agency, Ola Olukoyede, had previously recommended Edu’s suspension to the President.
This recommendation aimed to facilitate a thorough investigation into the alleged financial misconduct involving the payment of N585.189 million intended for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states into a private account.
The EFCC source disclosed that the commission wasted no time in extending the invitation to Betta Edu immediately after President Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive investigation.
The agency expects the suspended minister to appear at its headquarters promptly to provide clarifications regarding the alleged scandal.
The suspended minister, Betta Edu, has faced public criticism for authorising the transfer of N585.2 million into the private bank account of a civil servant responsible for grants for vulnerable Nigerians.
The leaked memo, dated December 2023, revealed the minister’s directive to transfer the funds, a move that contradicts financial regulations designed to prevent fraud and corruption in government transactions.
In response to the allegations, Betta Edu insisted that the act is legal within the country’s civil service and claimed that she was being targeted for her anti-corruption stance.
However, financial regulations clearly state that public money should not be paid into a private account, and any officer doing so is deemed to have done it with fraudulent intent.
The suspended minister has been instructed to hand over to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry during the suspension period.
