Alleged N44bn Fraud: EFCC Freezes Private Accounts with Stolen N30bn NSIPA Funds

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC says it has tracked and frozen thirty billion naira of the forty- four billion naira moved from the accounts of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, NSIPA.

Dele Oyewale, Spokesperson of the Commission, who confirmed this to newsmen on Thursday said the multiple accounts in which some NSIPA officials moved some money to have been frozen as part of the ongoing probe.

The development comes barely 24 hours after Halima Shehu, the embattled National Coordinator of NSIPA, was detained and arrested by EFCC after her suspension by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

After hours of interrogation and profiling of many accounts, the EFCC confirmed that an unauthorised 44 billion naira was suspiciously moved out of NSIPA’s account to some private and corporate accounts.

While the EFCC on wednesday grilled National Coordinator of the NSIPA, Halima Shehu, it also arrested the Agency’s immediate past Director of Finance and Accounts, Bwai Adamu Hamza who retired from the Agency in December.

Shehu and Hamza have been subjected to interrogation by a special team as they remain in custody of the EFCC.

As at Tuesday, the agency had intercepted and seized 17 billion naira and within 24 hours, the commission traced and froze an additional 13 billion naira in some accounts, raising the cash seized so far to 30 billion naira.

This comes as Former Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development minister, Sadiya Umar-Farouq whom Halima Shehu worked under shunned the EFCC’s invitation for questioning.