Reports coming in indicate that the just suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Betta Edu has been invited to appear at the Economic Crimes and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC Headquaters in Abuja.
This is coming barely one hour after President, Bola Tinubu announced the minister’s immediate suspension from office through his Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale on Monday 8 January 2024.
Confirming the invitation to journalist, an operative of the Anti-graft agency said that the Agency had earlier recommended the immediate suspension of the Minister in order to pave way for the ongoing investigation that had been ordered by the President Bola Tinubu.
According to the source, the commission had immediately swung into action immediately the President ordered a thorough investigation into the alleged of payment of N585.189 million grant meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun and Lagos states into a private account.
“Our investigation into the alleged payment won’t be thorough if we didn’t recommend the Minister’s suspension. Her suspension will give us liberty to do our job thoroughly as directed by the President.
“An official invitation by the commission has already been sent to her. We expect her to honour the invitation to give proper insight into the issue at hand. So, we expect her to arrive here anytime soon”. The source added.
As at press time, the spokesman of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, could not be reached for comments on the matter.