The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has questioned the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Oluwatoyin Madein, in connection to the alleged N585.2 million fraud within the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, involving the suspended Minister, Betta Edu. An EFCC source confirmed the interrogation, stating that Madein faced inquiries regarding the transfer of government funds from the ministry to the private bank account of a government official.
During the six-hour interrogation on Monday, the AGF clarified her role in the payment of N585.2 million from the National Social Investment office account to the UBA account of Bridget Oniyelu, the accountant of the Grants for Vulnerable Groups under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs. The AGF, however, asserted that she did not approve the memo from Minister Edu for the payment into a private account.
A leaked memo had previously disclosed Minister Edu’s request to transfer the funds in December 2023. The AGF, in response, contradicted Edu’s claim, stating that allocations were released to self-accounting Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) as per the budget, with the responsibility for project implementation and payments lying with the respective MDAs.
The EFCC had previously interrogated Minister Edu for over 10 hours on the alleged N585 million fraud, resulting in her suspension by President Bola Tinubu on January 8.