Following an investigation into fraud allegations recorded in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has seized the passports of suspended minister Betta Edu and her predecessor, Sadiya Umar Farouq.

The action was presumably taken to prevent the duo from fleeing abroad, as many public office holders under investigation had done in the past under the pretext of medical trips.

Ms Edu, was suspended on Monday by President Bola Tinubu after it came to light that she asked the Accountant-General of the Federation Toyin Sakirat Madein to transfer N585 million to a private individual account, an instruction that was ignored.

The suspended minister justified the payment to have followed due process, remarking that political detractors were sponsoring media attacks against her because she exposed and blocked money loopholes within weeks of assuming leadership of the ministry. 

She clarified that Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola, the intended recipient of the transfer, was the project accountant for the Grants for Vulnerable Group and was responsible for the supervision and distribution of funds to impoverished Nigerians in Lagos, Akwa-Ibom, Ogun and Cross-River states.

Ms Farouq, on her part, had previously shunned invitation to the EFCC, whose operatives waited nearly 10 hours to question her last Wednesday over misappropriation of N37 billion through a contractor James Okwete during her ministerial reign under the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

But she turned herself in on Monday and made a show of it on X, where she announced she had arrived at the EFCC headquarters “to honour the invitation by the anti-graft agency to offer clarifications” for their investigation. She was grilled for more than 12 hours at the commission.

Similarly, Ms Edu was interrogated on Tuesday for hours and detectives told The PUNCH that her passport and that of Ms Farouq were seized to deter any trip abroad.

“The commission has seized the passports of the two ministers, Sadiya Shehu and Betta Edu,” The PUNCH quoted its source as saying. “The commission does not want to risk having any of them leave the country while they still have questions to answer.” 

Both women were asked to report to the commission daily until instructed otherwise pending the conclusion of investigations.