The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is presently interrogating Chief Executive Officers and Managing Directors of Zenith Bank, Providus Bank, and Jaiz Bank. This interrogation is related to the alleged fraud amounting to over N44 billion uncovered in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
As of 4:55 pm on Tuesday, our correspondent gathered that senior bank executives are undergoing questioning by EFCC interrogators at the commission’s headquarters in Jabi, Abuja.
According to reports from GOLDENNEWS, Betta Edu, the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, is currently held and undergoing interrogation by the EFCC regarding a ₦585 million scandal.
Furthermore, Halima Shehu, the embattled Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency within the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, is under investigation by the EFCC for an alleged ₦44 billion fraud.
EFCC source confirmed the probe of the senior bank executives, stating that Zenith, Providus, and Jaiz banks are being questioned in connection with the ₦44.5 billion fraud uncovered in the ministry involving Edu and Shehu.
The source disclosed, “The CEOs and MDs of Zenith Bank, Providus Bank, and Jaiz Bank are currently being grilled by our interrogators here at the headquarters. They were invited and are being probed in connection with the uncovered ₦44 billion fraud and the ₦585 million involving Halima Shehu and Betta Edu.
“The suspended minister and the coordinator have both made new revelations during their interrogations, and the investigation is still ongoing.”
On Monday, President Bola Tinubu suspended Edu over an alleged ₦585 million cash transfer saga
The suspended minister, Betta Edu, was summoned by the anti-graft agency in adherence to Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive investigation into her activities within the ministry, according to a reliable source within the anti-graft commission who briefed reporters.
As reported by The PUNCH, Edu’s predecessor, Sadiya Farouq, faced questioning by EFCC interrogators on Monday. The allegations against Farouq involve the laundering of N37.1 billion during her tenure as a minister in former President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet.
Additionally, Halima Shehu, who had previously been arrested in connection with an alleged ₦44 billion money laundering case, was required to report to the EFCC daily following her release last Wednesday.
The PUNCH further reports that the Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Shehu, was arrested and taken into EFCC custody on Tuesday night following her suspension.
It has been revealed that the ₦44 billion in question was suspiciously transferred from NSIPA’s accounts to private and corporate accounts associated with individuals acting as fronts.