The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed that it has recovered a staggering sum of N30 billion from the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu.
In an update provided by the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, in the March edition of the commission’s monthly e-magazine, EFCCAlert, it was disclosed that investigations into financial mismanagement allegations against Edu and the erstwhile chief executive officer of the now-suspended National Social Investment Programme Authority (NSIPA), Halima Shehu, are ongoing.
Olukoyede stated that 50 bank accounts are currently under investigation as part of the probe. The recovered amount has already been remitted to the federal government’s coffers, with investigations continuing.
Addressing the progress of the investigation, Olukoyede emphasized President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to fighting corruption, noting that the suspension of Edu and Shehu underscores this dedication.
Olukoyede further explained, “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.”
He continued, “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.”
The suspended Minister and the NSIP CEO were suspended by President Tinubu about three months ago over allegations of financial mismanagement in the Humanitarian Ministry and the NSIP.
