Betta Edu: EFCC recovers N30bn, probes 50 bank accounts

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has recovered N30billion from the investigation of Betta Edu, suspended minister of humanitarian affairs and the ongoing probe of the ministry over alleged money laundering.

The anti-graft agency also said that it has placed 50 bank accounts under investigation in the on-going probe of the ministry.

It will be recalled that President Bola Tinubu had on January 8,suspended Edu and directed the EFCC “to conduct a thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transaction” involving her ministry, including the erstwhile chief executive officer of the now suspended National Social Investment Programme Authority (NSIPA), Halima Shehu.

In an update three months after, the commission in a bulletin titled “EFCC Alert,” said it was making progress on the investigation.

“With respect to 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. There are cases that 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’’, Ola Olukoyede, EFCC chairman, was quoted as saying in the released bulletin.

“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”, he further said.

“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.