The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria has made progress in an ongoing corruption probe involving a suspended minister, recovering 30 billion naira ($24 million; £19 million).
According to the financial watchdog, the funds were traced to over 50 bank accounts.
The suspended minister in question is Betta Edu, who holds the portfolio for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. She was initially suspended in January following allegations of diverting $640,000 of public funds into a personal bank account.
President Bola Tinubu initiated an investigation into her ministry in response to these allegations.
Dr. Edu, aged 37, has denied any wrongdoing. Her office clarified that she authorized the transfer into a personal account, not under her name, for the purpose of implementing grants for vulnerable groups.
The EFCC, during its nearly six weeks of investigation, has uncovered “many angles” to examine in the case.
“As it is now, we are investigating over 50 bank accounts that we have traced money into. That is no child’s play. That’s a big deal,” its chairman Ola Olukoyede said in the latest edition of the agency’s monthly e-magazine, EFCC Alert.
He appealed to Nigerians seeking resolution to allow the agency sufficient time to complete its investigation diligently.
“We are exploring so many discoveries that we have stumbled upon in our investigation. If it is about seeing people in jail, well let them wait, everything has a process to follow,” he said.
The EFCC chairman gave an assurance that the recovered funds were “already in the coffers of the federal government”.
The suspension of a minister is a rare occurrence in Nigeria.