Contrary to the impression being created by a section of the media that the Federal Government may be exploring a soft landing for the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed that 50 bank accounts are being scrutinized in the ongoing probe of the embattled minister.
The revelation is contained in the current edition of the in-house e-magazine of the anti-graft agency, EFCC Alert.
Relatedly, in a document authorized by the Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, and obtained by the Punch newspaper, the EFCC dropped another bombshell, disclosing that it had recovered a whopping N30bn connected to the case, and the said amount is now in the Federal Government’s coffers.
The document reads: “Update on Betta Edu investigation. We have laws and regulations guiding our investigations. Nigerians will also know that they are already on suspension, and this is based on the investigations we have done, and President Bola Tinubu has proved to Nigerians that he is ready to fight corruption.
“Moreover, concerning this particular case, we have recovered over N30 billion, which is already in the coffers of the Federal Government.
“It takes time to conclude investigations; we started this matter less than six weeks ago. Some cases take years to investigate. There are so many angles to it, and we need to follow through with some of the discoveries that we have seen. Nigerians should give us time on this matter; we have professionals on this case, and they need to do things right. There are so many leads here and there.”
“As it is now, we are investigating over 50 bank accounts that we have traced money into. That is no child’s play. That’s a big deal. Then you ask about my staff strength.
“And again, we have thousands of other cases that we are working on. Nigerians have seen the impact of what we have done so far, by way of some people being placed on suspension and by way of the recoveries that we have made. You have seen that the programme itself has been suspended. We are exploring so many discoveries that we have stumbled upon in our investigation.
“If it is about seeing people in jail, well, let them wait. Everything has a process to follow. So, Nigerians should wait and give us the benefit of the doubt.”
Olukoyede called for the support of the judiciary and the legislative arms of government for the EFCC to win the raging war against graft in thee country.
“Nobody can fight the corruption war alone,’ he declared. “So, we want Nigerians to believe in our capacity to fight this battle. We must also come together and agree that corruption is bad, and so when we are prosecuting corrupt persons, Nigerians should believe in it.
“We expect Nigerians to also appeal to their conscience because the negative impact of corruption is all over for all to see. So we must agree that what is wrong is wrong.
“I also appeal to other stakeholders – the National Assembly and the judiciary to support us in this mission. Every Nigerian must be a corruption fighter. When you see something wrong, say something. Challenge corrupt politicians in your locality. Take them up. Take your governors up on the allocations they receive and make them accountable. By so doing, you will be supporting the fight against corruption.”
Also under investigation is the former chief executive officer of the suspended National Social Investment Programme Authority, NSIPA, Ms. Halima Shehu.
President Bola Tinubu suspended both Edu and Shehu about three months ago for alleged financial malfeasance. The President also stopped the Social Investment Programme and ordered the EFCC to scrupulously investigate the allegations against the two embattled officials, as well as any other persons that maybe involved.
