EFCC arrests ex-NSIPA CEO, Halima Shehu – hours after suspension

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested Hajia Halima Shehu, the suspended National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, NSIPA, for alleged financial malpractices, hours after her suspension from office. Recall that Shehu was suspended from office by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday. Shehu was said to have been interrogated for hours by operatives of the EFCC in her office located at Maitama, Abuja before her arrest on Tuesday. But, as of the time of filing this report, the Presidency, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation have yet to make any official statement about the alleged suspension of the NSIPA National Coordinator. Shehu was expected to handover starter packs to victims of the kidney harvest at Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on Tuesday. The event was suspended following an alleged directive to that effect through a letter purportedly signed by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu. Men of the anti-graft agency later stormed her office at Taraba Crescent in Maitama, to engage her in certain interrogations. According to reports, the secret meeting between Shehu and the EFCC operatives, which began at 9 a.m.,ended around 4:30 p.m. with the former accompanying the EFCC officials to an unknown location. Recall that before her recent confirmation by the Senate, Hajia Shehu was the National Programme Coordinator of the National Conditional Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

President Tinubu Suspends Halima Shehu, CEO of National Social Investment Programme Agency

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has suspended Halima Shehu from her roles as the National Coordinator and CEO of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA). The suspension was ordered with immediate effect, replacing Shehu from her prominent position overseeing the Conditional Cash Transfer Program. The Senate ratified Shehu’s nomination back on October 18, 2023, following her appointment by President Tinubu earlier that month. Shehu, recognized for her banking expertise and professional development background, played a pivotal role in digitalizing the Conditional Cash Transfer Program. With roots in Katsina State, Shehu’s educational journey included earning a Bachelor of Arts in English Language from Ahmadu Bello University and later obtaining a Master’s degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy from the same institution. She honed her financial expertise during a decade-long banking career spanning several banks. Her venture into politics began in 2010, marked by key appointments in Katsina State governance and service as a presidential election observer in Cape Verde under the Economic Community of West African Countries in 2016.