A total of N30 billion looted under the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar-Farouk, has been recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The recovered loots were part of the N37,170, 855,753.44 allegedly laundered in the ministry by the former minister through a contractor Mr James Okwete.
It was earlier reported that N37 billion was transferred from government coffers and sent to 38 different bank accounts domiciled in five legacy commercial banks belonging to or connected with a contractor, Mr Okwete.
The Punch reported on Sunday that the anti-graft agency recovered the N30 billion following the placement of a lien on the bank accounts of Sadiya and Mr Okwete, who are still under investigation by the EFCC.
“The commission has now recovered over N30bn from the laundered N37.1bn that was linked to former minister Sadiya Umar-Farouq. We were able to recover the money after we placed liens on the bank accounts of the former minister and the contractor, Mr Okwete, who was linked to the fraud under probe. Both the minister and the contractor are still being grilled by our investigators daily,” an EFCC official told the newspaper.
The source said the agency has recovered another N500 million looted under Sadiya’s successor Dr Beta Edu.
EFCC is also still questioning Ms Edu in connection with an alleged N17 billion fraud, while the suspended Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme, Halima Shehu, is also still being questioned over an alleged N44 billion fraud.
“We have uncovered another N17 billion money laundering from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and for the alleged fraud linked to the suspended minister, Betta Edu, we have so far recovered over N500 million. Edu is still answering questions about the fraud,” the source said.
