After hours of interrogation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) granted parole to Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation who was suspended.
Regarding the authorization she granted to transfer approximately N585 million of ministry funds to a civil servant’s account, the commission charged Edu with a detention order.
In response to public outrage over the matter, President Bola Tinubu suspended Edu from office on Monday and directed EFCC to investigate the approval and other scandalous revelations associated with the matter.
EFCC had summoned her promptly to its headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.
Tuesday morning, she accepted the invitation and was detained until that evening, at which point she was released on bond.
A spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, verified Edu’s release on bail on Tuesday on Wednesday. Except that, Oyewale remained silent regarding the terms and conditions.
“Yesterday evening, she was granted parole,” he mentioned. I want to inform you that the investigation is still ongoing.
Tuesday morning, the EFCC commenced interrogating the suspended minister.
A reliable source informed The Guardian that she is currently under interrogation by the commission and has been cooperating with interrogators while also providing pertinent information regarding the matter at hand.
Tuesday, following her release on bail on Monday, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, Edu’s predecessor and the ministry’s founding minister at the time (formerly known as the Ministry of Social Development, Disaster Management, and Humanitarian Affairs), reported to the commission for further interrogation, according to the source.
An investigation is underway into the N37.1 billion that Umar-Farouk allegedly has ministry officials launder during her tenure as minister.
Halima Shehu, the suspended National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, was still the subject of an investigation by the EFCC, according to the source.
Shehu assumed the role of overseer for the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, which former President Muhammadu Buhari instituted to assist individuals and groups deemed vulnerable.