Buhari ex-minister risks arrest over N37.1bn fraud

Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, risks arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission following her failure, on Wednesday, to honour an invitation by the anti-graft agency.

The PUNCH reports that the EFCC wrote Umar Farouq to appear for questioning in furtherance of an ongoing probe into an alleged N37.1bn fraud during her tenure in office.

According to the EFCC, the alleged fraud was perpetrated through a contractor, James Okwete.

It was gathered on Wednesday that Umar Farouq, who was scheduled to appear at 10 am at the anti-graft agency’s Abuja headquarters, failed to show up and kept interrogators waiting for over eight hours without an official communication as to why she could not honour the invitation.

An EFCC investigator revealed that the interrogation team had to retire from work at about 6 pm when they were certain that the former minister was not going to show up on Wednesday.