Betta Edu Scheduled for EFCC Questioning Today

suspended, minister Edu will today be grilled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged N585 million fraud in her ministry.

Edu, who was suspended yesterday by President Bola Tinubu, is being accused of paying the Humanitarian Fund into a private account.

The N585 million was meant for payment of grants to vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Cross River and Ogun states.

Edu is the first minister to be suspended from office since member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) were sworn in in August last year.

Before her appointment as minister, she had served as Health commissioner in Cross River State and National Women Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Following her suspension, Edu was blocked from seeing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who had directed the anti-graft agency to thoroughly investigate the financial activities of the ministry and some of its agencies.

A source said that her access tag was withdrawn by a security agent at the State House, Abuja.

The President also directed a panel, headed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, to investigate the financial structure and operations of the social investment programmes, with a view to restructuring relevant institutions and programmes.

Edu, who was directed to hand over the affairs of the ministry to the Permanent Secretary, was also advised to cooperate fully with the investigating bodies.