Society Gists

Suspended former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, has officially written to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission seeking an extension of the deadline to meet with EFCC interrogators over an ongoing probe into an alleged N37.1 billion money laundering.

It was earlier reported that Umar-Farouq faces arrest by operatives of the EFCC after failing to appear before interrogators at the EFCC Headquarters on Wednesday.

But speaking with The Punch on Thursday, the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale said Umar had sent a legal representative to the commission and has written to the commission seeking to be given more time to honour the invitation while citing health challenges.

Oyewale said, “The former Humanitarian Minister didn’t appear before the commission yesterday, but she sent in a letter pleading for more time and also explaining that she has some health challenges and that was why she couldn’t honour the invitation. She also sent in her lawyer to meet with interrogators.

“However, the commission has mandated her to submit herself to the commission without further delay. We are still tracing all the transactions, hence we cannot put a figure to everything now as the investigation is still ongoing.”

Umar-Farouq kept interrogators waiting for over eight hours on Wednesday without an official communication to the commission as to why she didn’t honour the invitation.

The former minister was asked to appear before investigators at the EFCC Headquarters, Jabbi, Abuja on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, at about 10:00 am, to give an account of the alleged monumental fraud that took place under her watch, a document exclusively seen by our correspondent on Saturday revealed.