By Ijeoma Wilfred
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has frozen N30 billion of the N44 billion moved from the accounts of the National Social Investment Programme Agency.NSIPA by some officials of the agency.
This disclosure is part of an ongoing probe of officials of NSIPA by the EFCC.
The Anti – graft agency on Tuesday arrested Halima Shehu, the coordinator of the NSIPA who was suspended from office by President Bola Tinubu.
Following her suspension and allegations emanating from the agency, the EFCC moved swiftly to arrest and investigate her .
It was gathered that for hours on Wednesday,Shehu was grilled by the Commission and some of the findings were that the N44 billion was suspiciously moved from NSIPA’s accounts into private and corporate accounts linked to those serving as fronts.
The EFCC also arrested Bwai Adamu Hamza, NSIPA ‘s immediate past Director of Finance and Accounts who retired from the agency in December.
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However, the Commission’s invitation to
Former Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development minister, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, to appear for interrogation did not materialise as she failed to show up for the investigation.
Umar-Farouq was invited by the EFCC over an alleged laundering of N37,170,855,753.44 during her tenure through a contractor, James Okwete, but she denied the allegation.
It was learnt that the commission might declare the former minister wanted for failing to honour its invitation.
According to the ongoing investigation, the total cash taken out of the agency’s vaults was N44 billion.
On Tuesday, the EFCC intercepted and seized N17 billion and within 24 hours, the commission had traced and frozen an additional N13 billion in some accounts, raising the cash seized to N30 billion.
Current Matters gathered that operatives of the commission were still profiling many accounts as of Wednesday night “to uncover the accounts where the remaining N14 billion was hidden”
