EFCC Quizzes AGF Over N585 Million Humanitarian Ministry Scandal

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has begun investigating the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, for her alleged involvement in the N585.2 million fraud involving suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu.

The EFCC interrogators questioned the AGF on Monday at Jabi, Abuja, the headquarters of the anti-graft agency, according to reports obtained from Punch Newspaper.

Naija News reports that Madein was questioned for more than six hours and freed without any conditions in the evening.

She was questioned on the transfer of N585.2 million in public funds from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs into a government official’s personal bank account, according to an impeccable anti-graft source who verified the occurrence.

The source said, “The Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, has been invited and interrogated by the commission. She was grilled for over six hours on Monday over 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.

“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.”

Naija News had earlier reported how a leaked memo, revealed that Edu asked the Accountant General in December 2023 to move funds from the National Social Investment office account to Oniyelu’s UBA account, who works as the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs’ accountant for grants to vulnerable groups.

The AGF, however, refuted the suspended minister’s assertion in a statement, pointing out that funds were released to self-accounting MDAs following the budget and that these MDAs were in charge of carrying out their projects and making the necessary payments.

Naija News recalls that  Edu was interrogated for more than ten hours last week by EFCC agents on an alleged N585 million fraud in her ministry. President Bola Tinubu suspended her on Monday, January 8.

The minister is accused of depositing the humanitarian fund into a personal bank account.

The EFCC is also looking into an alleged N44 billion cash scam involving Halima Shehu, the troubled coordinator and chief executive officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, housed in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.