President Bola Ahmed Tinubu suspended humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation minister Betta Edu in January following allegations she had diverted public funds into private bank accounts.

Tinubu also suspended the head of the ministry’s social investment fund agency Halima Shehu over alleged graft. She was arrested and released on bail, according to local media.

Former poverty minister Sadiya Umar-Farouq was also reportedly taken in for questioning.

The probe into the humanitarian affairs ministry has so far recovered 32.7 billion naira (US$26.4 million) and US$455,000, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission or EFCC anti-graft agency said in a statement late yesterday.

“Investigations have also linked several interdicted and suspended officials of the ministry to the alleged financial malfeasance,” it said, without giving details.

A former Lagos state governor, Tinubu came to power last year promising to crack down on graft in Nigeria, which remains one of the lowest ranked on Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index.

The Nigerian leader has introduced broad economic reforms and suspended several officials, including former central bank chief Godwin Emefiele and the former head of the EFCC as part of his shake-up.

Africa’s most populous nation has seen the poverty rate increase from 40% of the population in 2018 to 46% in 2023, affecting around 104 million people, according to the World Bank.