Betta Edu: Zenith Bank Clarifies EFCC Invite

Zenith Bank has said its appearance at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was to present documents that would help in the ongoing investigations on  the financial misappropriation and fraud linked to suspended minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, and her predecessor, Sadiya Umar-Farouk.

The EFCC had called in the chief executives of Zenith, Provides and Jaiz banks in connection with the N44.5 billion fraud uncovered in the ministry involving Edu, Umar-Farouk and Halima Shehu.

Zenith Bank clarified that the helmsman of the bank had gone to present documents relating to accounts operated by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to help the agency in its investigations of the Ministry.

EFCC sources, who confirmed the report, said they are being questioned over the matter.

“The CEOs and MDs of Zenith Bank, Providus Bank, and Jaiz Bank are currently being grilled by our interrogators here at the headquarters.

“They were invited and are being probed in connection with the uncovered ₦44bn fraud and the ₦585million involving Halima Shehu and Betta Edu.

“The suspended minister and the coordinator have both made new revelations during their interrogations, and the investigation is still ongoing,” the source said.

While Edu is also still being quizzed at the EFCC, Umar-Farouk and Halima Shehu were the early birds there.

Shehu was the suspended co-ordinator and chief executive officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency domiciled in the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, who is being probed by the EFCC over an alleged N44 billion fraud.

The banking executives, who have been under stealth scrutiny since the public outcry over the unscrupulous diversion of public funds into private accounts, are now in EFCC custody, presidential sources also stated.

The anti-graft agency is presently probing numerous instances of substantial public funds directed into private accounts, an action sanctioned by Edu and Farouq using their position as ministers.

Farouq, who oversaw the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development under the previous administration, is  under investigation for the mismanagement of at least N37 billion in public funds designated for the conditional cash transfer programme of then-President Muhammadu Buhari.

EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale did not confirm or refute the story.