Transparency Network Pressures EFCC to Release Report on Humanitarian Ministry Scandal

The Transparency Network has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conclude and publish its findings on the corruption allegations that rocked the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs in early 2024, leading to the suspension of then-minister Dr. Betta Edu and other senior officials.

In a statement on Sunday, the group lamented that nearly two years after the scandal broke, the EFCC has yet to make its report public, leaving a cloud of suspicion over several civil servants and politicians who were linked to the case.

Among those affected is the suspended Executive Secretary of the National Social Investment Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu, and other staff members who were sidelined to allow investigations.

The group’s coordinator, Imman Onyi, criticized what he described as the EFCC’s “dithering procrastination,” stressing that the prolonged delay undermines public confidence in the government’s anti-corruption efforts.

“It is unfortunate that almost two years on, no conclusion has been made public. We do not believe that with the EFCC’s capacity and the evidence available, it has been unable to determine culpability. The delay leaves many individuals under unjust suspicion, despite no formal indictment or exoneration,” Onyi said.

The group called on the EFCC to release its report without further delay to clarify who was truly responsible for the scandal and to clear the names of those wrongfully implicated.