Ex-minister Farouq cited illness for shunning our invitation – EFCC
However, the EFCC stated that Umar-Farouq must appear at its Abuja headquarters before its team within three days for interrogation.
ABUJA-The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has said that former Minister of Humanitarian Affair, Disaster Management, and Social Development Sadiya Umar-Farouq, did not shun its invitation as reported by a section of the media.
Plus Naija reports that the minister, who cited health challenges, approached the anti-graft agency through her counsel requested that the deadline be extended by three weeks.
However, the EFCC stated that Umar-Farouq must appear at its Abuja headquarters before its team within three days for interrogation.
” indeed, she didn’t show up but she sent a letter pleading for more time explaining that she had some health challenges.
”She didn’t shun the EFCC invitation, she gave reasons why she couldn’t meet up. Her lawyer was also at the commission to brief the anti-graft agency of why she couldn’t come or honour the invitation,” the EFCC spokesman added.
Oyewale said the commission had considered her plea, and expected that she would honour the invitation without further delay
He said that there might not be any reason for her arrest as she had done the needful through her lawyer.
”The position of the commission is that she should turn herself in without further delay.”
He also explained that the N37.1 billion being branded might not be a correct figure of the money misappropriated by the ministry
”On the figure that is being branded, I cannot categorically confirm the figure because it is an ongoing thing. We are still tracing all the transactions here and there, it may be more than that.
”We can’t publish a figure now until we finish the tracking and it may be more than what is being brandished now,” he said.
The spokesman also said that the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, (NSIPA) Halima Shehu, has been released.
Shehu, who was arrested on Tuesday, has been released and directed to come to the EFCC office for interrogation until the end of the investigation.
