Halima Shehu, the National Co-ordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), who was embroiled in an alleged ₦44 billion money laundering case, has been released on bail by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Sources reveal that Shehu, arrested on Tuesday night following her suspension by President Bola Tinubu, was released on Wednesday night and has been instructed to report to the EFCC Headquarters daily during the ongoing investigation.
The ₦44 billion in question was reportedly suspiciously transferred from NSIPA’s accounts to private and corporate accounts associated with individuals acting as fronts.
The NSIPA Coordinator’s arrest came in the wake of her suspension by President Tinubu.
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Confirming Shehu’s release in a telephone interview on Thursday, the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, disclosed that she continues to cooperate with investigators and is required to meet with them daily as the investigation progresses.
Oyewale emphasized that the EFCC is diligently tracing all suspicious transactions, considering the substantial sums involved in interventions by the Ministry and agencies.
Addressing the circulating figures of ₦44 billion and ₦30 billion, Oyewale clarified that the commission is still in the process of tracing the transactions and cannot provide an exact figure at this time due to the complexity of the investigations.
Prior to her role at NSIPA, Shehu served as the National Coordinator of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
She also held positions with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, where Sadiya Umar-Farouk, currently under investigation for ₦37 billion fraud, served as Minister between 2017 and 2022.
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