A financial watchdog reports that Nigeria has retrieved 30 billion naira ($24 million) as part of an ongoing corruption investigation into a suspended minister.
It stated that the money might be linked to more than 50 bank accounts.
Betta Edu, the minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation, was first suspended in January because of allegations that $640,000 in public funds had been transferred into a personal bank account. After that, President Bola Tinubu directed an inquiry on her ministry.
Dr. Edu, 37, denied any misconduct at the time. Although the transfer into a personal account was not in her name, her office stated that she had approved it, claiming it was for the “implementation of grants to vulnerable groups”.
After nearly six weeks of investigation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) claimed it has “many angles” to look into.
“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,” Ola Olukoyede, the chairman of the agency, stated in the most recent issue of EFCC Alert, the monthly e-magazine. He asked Nigerians who wanted to file complaints to be patient so the agency could complete its investigation.
The recovered cash were guaranteed to be “already in the coffers of the federal government” by the EFCC chairman.
In Nigeria, the suspension of a minister is an uncommon occurrence.
