Breaking News! ₦37.1bn fraud: Buhari’s minister arrives EFCC headquarters

Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, has arrived at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to meet with interrogators over an ongoing probe into the N37,170,855,753.44 allegedly laundered during her tenure in office, through a contractor, James Okwete.

Our correspondent confirmed the arrival of the ex-minister at about 10 am on Monday.

Meanwhile, at about 10:20 am, the former minister tweeted about her presence at the EFCC headquarters.

“I have, at my behest, arrived at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to honour the invitation by the anti-graft agency to offer clarifications in respect of some issues that the commission is investigating,” Umar-Farouq tweeted on Monday morning.

The former Minister had earlier officially written to the EFCC, seeking an extension of the deadline to meet with EFCC interrogators over an ongoing probe into the N37,170,855,753.44 allegedly laundered during her tenure in office through a contractor, Okwete.

Earlier reported that Umar-Farouq faced arrest by operatives of the EFCC after failing to appear before interrogators at the EFCC Headquarters on Wednesday.

The former minister was asked to appear before investigators at the EFCC Headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, at about 10:00 a.m. to give an account of the alleged monumental fraud that took place under her watch, a document exclusively seen by our correspondent on Saturday revealed.

Reacting to the development in an exclusive telephone interview with our correspondent on Thursday, the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, said Umar had sent a legal representative to the commission and had written to the commission seeking to be given more time to honour the invitation while citing health challenges.

Oyewale said, “The former Humanitarian Minister didn’t appear before the commission yesterday, but she sent in a letter pleading for more time and also explaining that she has some health challenges and that was why she couldn’t honour the invitation. She also sent in her lawyer to meet with interrogators.