EFCC To Question Farouk Sadiya Over Alleged N37bn Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is expected to question the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouk over an alleged N37.1 billion fraud.

A top EFCC source confirmed this to press in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

Umar-Farouk served as minister under former President Muhammadu Buhari from August 2019 to May 29, 2023.

Last week, the former minister was invited by the anti-graft agency following a probe that was launched into her activities in the ministry when she held sway.

She was being investigated over the sum of  N37.1 billion that was allegedly laundered under her watch through a contractor, James Okwete.

A week after, the former minister was asked to appear before interrogators at the EFCC headquarters located at Jabi, Abuja, by 10:00 am.

However, she has yet to appear at the EFCC headquarters, the source who craved anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said.

According to the source, some other officials who worked with her had also been invited to provide an insight into how the affairs of the ministry were run in the last four years.

The planned interrogation of the former minister followed the immediate suspension of Halima Shehu as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) by President Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu replaced Halima with the National N-Power programme Manager, Akindele Egbuwalo, in acting capacity pending an investigation initiated into the activities of the embattled former head of the agency.

NSIPA, which is responsible for managing critical programmes like N-Power and Conditional Cash Transfer, has been under scrutiny in recent times, with concerns raised about efficiency and effectiveness.

The agency is under the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry.

It is however unclear why Shehu was suspended, it was gathered that the embattled NSIPA boss also has questions to answer.