Suspended social investment scheme coordinator, Halima Shehu, is being grilled by the EFCC

Halima Shehu, the National Coordinator and CEO of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), was detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) shortly after her suspension.

She was apprehended within a week in relation to the transfer of N17 billion from an NSIPA account to multiple suspicious accounts.

The cash was intercepted and recovered after allegations that the agency had made significant payments without presidential consent. Reports suggest that the EFCC may have recommended her suspension to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and her suspension was intended to facilitate an unhindered investigation into the matter.

Operatives of the commission conducted searches at her home and office before arresting her for interrogation. Additionally, the EFCC is reportedly closing in on a director of the agency who is believed to be involved in the large payments to the suspicious accounts.

In a separate case, the EFCC will be interrogating former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, for allegedly laundering N37,170,855,753.44 during her tenure through a contractor named James Okwete. The ex-minister has denied any association with the implicated contractor.

A team of interrogators may question her today, according to new information. The EFCC has discovered “unusual movement of billions of naira” from NSIPA’s account, as revealed by an investigation conducted by our correspondent.

A confidential source stated that the EFCC flagged suspicious payments of billions of Naira into individual and corporate accounts, without any presidential approval for such large sums. Measures were taken to track the suspicious funds, resulting in the interception and recovery of approximately N17 billion.

The EFCC is currently working tirelessly to trace the remaining laundered billions from the Social Investment cash. The NSIPA boss was arrested after her suspension, with EFCC operatives laying siege to her office.

It took nearly two hours to apprehend her, and during this time, the EFCC chairman instructed the operatives not to forcibly enter her office or residence. She was eventually arrested and detained, and the interrogation began based on initial findings.

It is possible that Halima Shehu’s suspension has been recommended by the EFCC, pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigation.

Prior to her appointment, she held positions as the National Coordinator of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme and served with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development from 2017 to 2022.

The President’s decision to take action against Halima Shehu was a result of her defiance of a presidential directive to collaborate with the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in order to pay outstanding stipends to N-Power program beneficiaries before Christmas.

The N-Power initiative was established by former President Muhammadu Buhari to tackle the issue of youth unemployment, with participants receiving a monthly stipend of N30,000. However, approximately 400,000 beneficiaries have not been receiving their stipends for the past few months.

According to a reliable source, the National Coordinator, who was suspended, did not collaborate with the minister as expected regarding the N-Power program. As a result, the presidency instructed the minister to work with the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to ensure that the beneficiaries are paid.

Additionally, the EFCC discovered suspicious payments made by NSIPA and subsequently suspended the director of the Social Investment Agency who was involved in these transactions.

The EFCC has also invited the ex-minister for an interview as part of their investigation into a case of money laundering involving the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development during her tenure.