EFCC quizzes ex-Minister Uju Ohanenye over alleged ₦138m fraud scandal

Former Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, is under intense interrogation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a staggering ₦138 million fraud linked to the ministry’s 2023 budgetary allocation.

Sources within the anti-graft agency revealed that Ohanenye arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja around 11 a.m. on Thursday, where she was confronted with damning allegations of misappropriation, procurement violations, and diversion of public funds.

“She is being questioned over her alleged role in the fraudulent diversion of ₦138,413,253.89. Investigators have uncovered that funds earmarked for the P-Bat Cares for Women Initiative were allegedly siphoned for personal enrichment,” a source told the Punch.

Despite multiple attempts, EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, could not be reached for an official statement at the time of this report.

Ohanenye’s ordeal follows her removal from office in October 2024, when President Bola Tinubu ousted five ministers, including her, during a Federal Executive Council shake-up.