The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confiscated the passports of the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, and her predecessor, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, as part of the ongoing investigations into alleged scandals within the ministry.
The controversy surrounding Edu arose following the leak of a memo that purportedly showed the suspended minister instructing the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer N585 million to a private account belonging to Oniyelu Bridget. The ministry claimed that Bridget serves as the Project Accountant for Grants for Vulnerable Groups, and the funds were intended for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states. Edu has denied the allegations, dismissing them as baseless.
President Bola Tinubu suspended Edu on Monday and instructed her to hand over to the ministry’s permanent secretary. Subsequently, on Tuesday, Edu complied with an invitation from the EFCC and underwent extensive questioning by investigators. During this process, her personal and official passports were confiscated, and she was prohibited from leaving the country.
Similarly, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, Edu’s predecessor, was reportedly interrogated for 12 hours on Monday regarding an investigation into the alleged laundering of N37.1 billion during her tenure through a contractor named James Okwete. Umar-Farouq’s passport was also seized as part of her bail conditions before she was released late on Monday night.
A source within the EFCC revealed, “The commission has seized the passports of the two ministers, Sadiya Shehu and Betta Edu. 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,” as reported by Punch.
Politics Nigeria