EFCC grills Buhari’s minister over N37.1bn fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, January 8, grilled a former Minister of Social Development, Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, for hours over allegations of fraud.

A source at the EFCC confirmed that the former minister was at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday morning.

“The former minister kept her promise of honouring the commission’s invitation over alleged misappropriation of multi billion naira social intervention fund during her tenure as minister,” the source said.

The source added that Umar-Farouq may be released to go home and return on Tuesday for further interrogation.

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“She might not likely be detained; she may be allowed to go home but it will be very late, and she has to report tomorrow (Tuesday) morning for further interrogation,” the source told NAN.

The ongoing investigation by the EFCC revolves around N37.1 billion allegedly laundered by officials of the ministry during Umar-Farouq’s tenure as minister.

The EFCC had a week ago interrogated Halima Shehu, the suspended National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), being supervised by the ministry.

The anti-graft agency held Shehu for questioning after her office was raided, but was later released on administrative bail.

Shehu was responsible for overseeing the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme during President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The EFCC had earlier invited Umar-Farouq for questioning over the case, but she requested a rescheduling of the invitation.

The former minister was to appear before EFCC interrogators on January 3, but did not show up due to health challenges.

The Star