The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed a significant breakthrough in its investigation into financial mismanagement allegations involving the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu.
According to the anti-graft agency, a staggering sum of N30 billion has been recovered from Edu, with ongoing probes into 50 bank accounts linked to her and the former chief executive officer of the now-suspended National Social Investment Programme Authority (NSIPA), Halima Shehu.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, provided insights into the progress of the investigation in the March edition of the commission’s monthly e-magazine, EFCCAlert.
He said that the recovered funds have already been remitted to the federal government’s coffers.
Olukoyede reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s resolve to root out corruption, affirming the agency’s adherence to legal procedures and due process in its investigations.
He urged Nigerians to exercise patience as the EFCC delves into the complexities of the case, emphasizing the meticulous approach required to unravel the extent of financial irregularities.
He said: “We have laws and regulations guiding our investigations. Nigerians will also know that they are already on suspension and this is based on the
investigations we have done, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has proved to Nigerians that he is ready to fight corruption.
“Moreover, with respect to this particular case, we have recovered over N30 billion, which is already in the coffers of the Federal Government. It takes time to conclude investigations; we started this matter less than six weeks ago. There are cases that take years to investigate. There are so many angles to it. And we
need to follow through with some of the discoveries that we have seen. Nigerians should give us time on this matter; we have professionals on this case and they need to do things right. There are so many leads here and there.
“As it is now, we are investigating over 50 bank accounts that we have traced money into. That is no child’s play. That’s a big deal. Then you ask
about my staff strength. And again, we have thousands of other cases that we are working on.
“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.”
Recalls both Edu and Shehu were suspended about three months ago by President Tinubu over alleged financial mismanagement in the Humanitarian Ministry and the NSIP.
