During the week, a WhatsApp broadcast message surfaced on social media claiming to list assets acquired by suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, during her time in office.
The message being circulated purportedly originated from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This follows mounting controversies surrounding Edu, stemming from an alleged N585 million scandal in her ministry. The latest allegation claims Edu authorized N3.16 million for flight tickets and airport taxis for herself and her team to travel from Abuja to Kogi State, a state, which does not have an airport. CDD War Room investigated the veracity of these claims.
CDD War Room investigated to authenticate the integrity of the claim.
Claim 1: Did Betta Edu acquire the above items while in office?
The CDD War Room rigorously searched the internet for reports from reputable media outlets to verify the claim. Our investigation revealed that the report originated from a website named Afemai Reports. It was observed that the content of the report on this website was identical to the information circulated in the broadcast message, with only the lead paragraph being different.
Furthermore, the CDD War Room cross-checked multiple news outlets but found that aside from the mentioned website, no other reputable media outlet reported on the claim. The only additional coverage found was in the form of opinion pieces.
CDD War Room also observed that the items listed had no precise address or name making the claim less verifiable.
Claim 2: Is there an official EFCC list of assets linked to Betta Edu’s tenure in office?
Verification
CDD War Room perused the website and social media handles of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to check if there have been any press statements by the commission on the subject matter. CDD War Room found none.
CDD War Room further contacted the EFCC spokesperson who did not respond to our messages up till the time of filing this report.
Verdict: No Evidence
CDD War Room found no evidence to support the claim that a list of assets recovered from Betta Edu, was released to the public by the EFCC.
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