N82.4bn Scandal: EFCC Seizes Betta Edu, Umar-Farouk, Halima Shehu’s Travel Documents

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has seized the travel documents of suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Dr. Betta Edu, and her predecessor Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouq.

The EFCC also impounded the international passports of the suspended National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu.

The trio are being interrogated over allegations of financial crime levelled against them.

The passport seizure was part of the conditions for granting them administrative bail.

The travel papers are to be with the commission pending the conclusion of the investigation.

“We have asked all those under interrogation to submit their travelling documents. We have seized the passports of Betta, Sadiya, Halima and others.

“For Betta, who was grilled from 11 am till 6pm, she was the last to be granted bail yesterday (Tuesday).

“We demanded their passports to restrict their movement, to enable them to be available for interrogation. They are all cooperating with us,” an EFCC insider said.

While Umar-Farouk is being investigated over the alleged misappropriation of 37 billion naira, her successor is being probed for seeking to transfer 585 million naira into a private account.

The suspended NSIPA boss is being quizzed for alleged fraudulent transfer of 44.8 billion public funds out of which the EFCC has recovered 39.8 billion naira.