FORMER Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development Sadiya Umar-Farouq has arrived at the Javi, Abuja head office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters in connection with an alleged fraud.
The former minister is expected to provide answers to the Thirty-Seven Billion, One Hundred and Seventy Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Five Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty-Three Naira, Forty-five Kobo (N37,170,855,753.44) allegedly laundered during her tenure in office, through a contractor, James Okwete.
An informed source said the former minister arrived at the premises of the anti-graft agency at about 10 a.m. earlier today.
Also, the former minister revealed at about 10:20 am,m on her X page, that she was present in the EFCC offices.
She wrote: “I have, at my behest, arrived at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) 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.
It will be recalled that the former minister had in the past shunned the invitation extended to her by the Commission citing health issues. In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Commission, the former minister sought an extension of the deadline to meet with EFCC interrogators.
The spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale had said last week that Malama Umar had sent a legal representative to the Commission and has written to it 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 (Wednesday) 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.
“However, the Commission has mandated her to submit herself to it without further delay. We are still tracing all the transactions, hence we cannot put a figure to everything now as the investigation is still ongoing.
Eighteen-Eleven Media