The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed that it has retrieved ₦30 billion from Betta Edu, the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
The update was shared by the chairman of EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, during the March edition of the commission’s monthly e-magazine, EFCCAlert, News About Nigeria reports.
The anti-corruption agency disclosed also that it is currently investigating 50 bank accounts as part of the probe into financial mismanagement allegations against Betta Edu and Halima Shehu, the former CEO of the suspended National Social Investment Programme Authority (NSIPA).
He said the recovered funds have been returned to the federal government’s treasury while investigations are ongoing.
Olukoyede reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to combating corruption, emphasising the need for thorough investigations and adherence to legal procedures.
He stressed that the process takes time and urged Nigerians to be patient.
He said, “Nigerians have seen the impact of what we have done so far, by way of some people being placed on suspension and by way of the recoveries that we have made. You have seen that the programme itself has been suspended.
“We are exploring so many discoveries that we have stumbled upon in our investigation. If it is about seeing people in jail, well let them wait, everything has a process to follow. So Nigerians should wait and give us the benefit of the doubt.”
Betta Edu and Halima Shehu were suspended by President Tinubu three months ago due to alleged financial mismanagement within the Humanitarian Ministry and NSIP.
Edu found herself in hot water when she allegedly instructed Oluwatoyin Madein, the accountant-general of the federation, to transfer N585 million to a private account instead of the designated account for beneficiaries of the social intervention programme.
The revelation that Dr. Edu may have directed the funds to a personal account rather than a government one sparked public outrage.
At 37 years old, Dr. Edu was the youngest minister in President Tinubu’s cabinet and was regarded as a close confidante of the president.
Meanwhile, Shehu was sacked from her position following reports of suspicious transfers totaling ₦44 billion from NSIPA’s accounts to private and corporate accounts associated with individuals acting as proxies.
