The counsel to Sadiya Umar Farouq, former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Oladipo Okpeseyi, has said the minister did not refuse to honour the invitation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
EFCC is investigating Farouq over alleged N37 billion fraud.
As part of the probe, the anti-graft agency invited the former minister for clarification.
However, addressing journalists, Okpeseyi said the minister could not honour the invitation due to health challenges.
“I was at the headquarters of the commission on Tuesday to submit a letter to that effect and to seek extension of time (a shift in date) to enable my client, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, to make herself available at another opportune time to offer clarifications about activities of some agencies under the ministry she superintended in the immediate past administration.
“Although, the EFCC has yet to send me a formal reply, the leadership availed us of its understanding, which resulted in parties amicably agreeing to have the interview originally scheduled for Wednesday (January 3, 2024) postponed to a time that the commission would subsequently fix after looking through its schedules.”