N585m scandal: Aso Villa pass of suspended Betta Edu withdrawn

The Presidency has withdrawn the pass of the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, thereby denying her access to the Aso Villa in Abuja. The pass enables top government officials to gain entry to the Villa  and meet with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “The pass of the suspended minister to […]

The Presidency has withdrawn the pass of the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, thereby denying her access to the Aso Villa in Abuja.

The pass enables top government officials to gain entry to the Villa  and meet with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“The pass of the suspended minister to Aso Villa has been collected,” a reliable source in the Presidency told Daily Trust.

“That means she can no longer access the Villa until further directive,” the source added.

In a video seen by Daily Trust, Edu’s vehicle was seen leaving the State House in a black SUV after she was denied access to the president.

A viral document signed by the Minister and addressed to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation showed that she ordered the payment of N585,189,500.00 into one Bridget Mojisola Oniyelu’s private account.

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The leaked document showed that the money was paid into Oniyelu’s account.

The minister’s media aide, Rasheed Zubair, had in a statement on Friday said the payment followed due process.

Edu had also, in a statement she posted on her Facebook page on Saturday, said the allegation was baseless.

But the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Sunday said Tinubu had directed a thorough investigation into the matter, adding that any breaches would be decisively punished.

Meanwhile, Tinubu on Monday, said the suspension was in line with his avowed commitment to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the management of the commonwealth of Nigerians.

About 30 minutes after her suspension, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invited Edu to its headquarters for probe.

She, however, had yet to appear before the anti-graft agency as of the time of filing this report.