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 questioning regarding the approval she granted for the payment of approximately N585 million from the ministry’s funds into a private account of a civil servant.
President Bola Tinubu suspended Mrs. Edu on Monday, instructing the EFCC to investigate the approval and related scandalous revelations following public outrage over the issue.
Mrs. Edu, who honored the EFCC’s summons on Tuesday morning, was held in custody until she was granted bail that same night.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed on Wednesday that Mrs. Edu had been released on bail, refraining from commenting on the terms and conditions. He stated, “She was given bail yesterday night. I want to tell you that the investigation still continues.”
When pressed for details on bail conditions and the outcome of the questioning sessions, Mr. Oyewale declined to provide further information, saying, “I cannot speak further on the details.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the EFCC began questioning Mrs. Edu on Tuesday morning, following an official invitation sent to her on Monday.
A reliable source at the anti-graft agency revealed that Mrs. Edu’s predecessor, Sadiya Umar-Farouk, also faced questioning after being released on bail on Monday. Mrs. Umar-Farouk is being investigated over an alleged N37.1 billion laundered during her tenure as minister.
Halima Shehu, the suspended National Coordinator and CEO of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, is still undergoing investigation at the EFCC.
Betta Edu’s Case
Mrs. Edu has faced criticism for approving the transfer of N585.2 million into the private bank account of a civil servant responsible for grants for Vulnerable Nigerians. This scandal emerged shortly after Mrs. Edu suspended Ms. Shehu for alleged financial impropriety.
Documents leaked to the public revealed that Mrs. Edu ordered the payment into the private account of Bridget Oniyelu, the accountant in charge of Grants for Vulnerable Nigerians, a federal government poverty intervention project under Mrs. Edu’s ministry.
This request violates Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009, designed to prevent fraud and corruption in government transactions.
Mrs. Edu, insisting on the legality of her actions, claimed she was being targeted for her anti-corruption stance. However, Nigeria’s Financial Regulations state that public money should not be paid into a private account, and any officer doing so is deemed to have acted with fraudulent intention.
The Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, distanced herself from the controversy, stating her agency had advised the ministry on the proper mode of such transfers.
President Tinubu, in a statement on Monday, announced Mrs. Edu’s suspension and tasked a panel led by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance to conduct a comprehensive diagnostic of the financial architecture and framework of the social investment programs.
