EFCC Summons 8 Former Ministers

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has summoned eight former ministers, who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari, over allegations bordering on corruption.

“The invitation letters, it was learnt, requested the former top government officials to come and explain how they spent funds allocated to their ministries on some designated projects when they held sway at their respective positions,” according to a report this Friday morning by Daily Trust.

Quoting an unnamed EFCC inside source, the paper said the invitation letters were extended to the former ministers before the suspension of Abdulrasheed Bawa as chairman of the commission.

“The anti-graft agency had commenced investigations, according to sources within the commission,” Daily Trust reported.

It quoted the inside source as disclosing that apart from the former Minister of Women’s Affairs, Pauline Tallen, who was invited last week over alleged N2bn fraud and “part of the money allegedly diverted from the African First Lady Peace Mission Project,” about seven others have also been invited.

The paper recalled that Sale Mamman, a former Minister of Power under former President Buhari, was last month arrested and detained by EFCC in connection with an alleged N22 billion fraud related to power projects.

“In the same vein, it was learnt that the immediate Past Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, has also been summoned over how the Police Trust Fund was handled,” the report said.

Earlier media reports had named ex-ministers invited by the anti-graft agency to include those of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN; Aviation, Hadi Sirika; and Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq.

However, none of them has confirmed receiving any invitation letter from EFCC.