N585 Million Scandal: EFCC releases suspended minister Betta Edu on bail

AGENCY REPORT

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has released the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, on bail, after hours of grilling her in respect of the approval she gave for the payment of about N585 million of the ministry’s funds into the private account of a civil servant.

President Bola Tinubu on Monday suspended Mrs Edu from office and ordered EFCC to investigate the approval and other related scandalous revelations, following a public outrage expressed on the issue.

EFCC had immediately summoned her to appear at its headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

Newsheadline247 understands that she honoured the invitation on Tuesday morning and was held in custody till night when she was granted bail.

EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed on Wednesday that Mrs Edu was released on bail on Tuesday. Oyewale, however, refrained from commenting on the terms and conditions.

“She was given a bail yesterday’s night. I want to tell you that the investigation still continues,” Oyewale said.

When pressed to comment on the bail conditions and some details of the outcome of the questioning sessions that took place on Tuesday, Oyewale said, “I cannot speak further on the details.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the EFCC began questioning Mrs Edu Tuesday morning.

Citing a highly reliable source at the anti-graft agency, NAN reported that the suspended minister was at the commission’s headquarters on Tuesday morning.

“An official invitation by the commission was sent to her on Monday and she honoured the invitation on Tuesday.

“She is being interrogated by the commission and she is expected to give proper insight into the issue at hand,’’ the source said.

The source told NAN that Mrs Edu’s predecessor, Sadiya Umar-Farouk, the pioneer minister of the ministry then christened as the Ministry of Social Development, Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs, returned to the commission for questioning on Tuesday after she was released on bail on Monday.

Mrs Umar-Farouk is being investigated over a staggering N37.1 billion allegedly laundered by officials of the ministry during her tenure as minister.

The source also told NAN that Halima Shehu, the suspended National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, was still undergoing investigation at the EFCC.

Ms Shehu was responsible for overseeing the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme initiated by former President Muhammadu Buhari to give succour to vulnerable groups and individuals.