The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly interrogated the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, over her alleged involvement in a N585.2m fraud connected to the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Betta Edu. The interrogation took place at the EFCC headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, on Monday.
Sources within the anti-graft agency disclosed that Madein was questioned for over six hours concerning the payment of N585.2m from the National Social Investment office account to the UBA account of Bridget Oniyelu, the accountant of the Grants for Vulnerable Groups under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs. Madein, however, was released with no conditions after providing written explanations during the interrogation.
An insider shared details, stating, “The AGF was not detained, and she was released with no condition after she made her explanation in writing to the investigators during interrogation. However, she told interrogators that she didn’t approve the memo from Minister Edu for the payment into a private account.”
The alleged fraud came to light through a leaked memo, revealing that in December 2023, Minister Edu requested the Accountant General to transfer the funds. The AGF, in response, contradicted the minister’s claim, stating that allocations were released to self-accounting MDAs in line with the budget, and the MDAs were responsible for project implementation and associated payments.
Dr. Betta Edu, suspended on January 8 by President Bola Tinubu, faced over 10 hours of questioning by EFCC operatives last week regarding the alleged N585m fraud in her ministry. She is accused of redirecting humanitarian funds into a private account.
In a related development, Halima Shehu, the Co-ordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, is also under EFCC investigation for an alleged N44bn cash fraud. The probe signifies the anti-corruption agency’s commitment to addressing financial irregularities within government ministries and agencies.