Nigeria: EFCC Should Recover N33.75 Billion and Prosecute the Officials Who Stole It

What the report says

A This Day commentary carried by AllAfrica says Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission should recover N33.75 billion and prosecute officials linked to alleged diversion of cash transfers under the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA). The piece says the agency was formalized under a 2022 law during the Muhammadu Buhari administration and is meant to run poverty-relief initiatives such as N-Power, school feeding, cash transfers and other safety-net schemes.

The article argues that the programme has been damaged by corruption allegations involving senior officials. It cites earlier EFCC scrutiny of former humanitarian affairs minister Sadiya Umar Farouq over alleged money laundering, the suspension of her successor Betta Edu after a leaked memo about a N585 million transfer, and the questioning of former NSIPA chief Halima Shehu over suspected fund movements. It also notes that a court in Abuja issued an arrest warrant for Farouq and a former permanent secretary after they failed to appear for arraignment.

The immediate trigger for the commentary is a disclosure in the Auditor-General’s 2024 report saying the federal government could not show adequate evidence that N33.75 billion in cash transfers reached more than 3.29 million vulnerable households. The author urges the EFCC to work with the auditor-general to trace the funds and bring anyone implicated to justice.

The article adds broader context by referencing tighter beneficiary verification rules using BVN and NIN, as well as a July 2026 World Bank-backed development package announced by President Bola Tinubu. It says stronger safeguards are needed so future poverty-reduction funds reach intended recipients.