WorldStage– Suspended National Coordinator and CEO of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu, has denied ever confessing to stealing N44b by fund transfer mistake as being reported by some media outlets, including the social media.
She also threatened legal action against media outlets that published them, according to a statement on her X account (formerly Twitter).
The claim of Shehu confessing to stealing “by mistake” had primarily circulated on social media, especially on platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
From findings, the phrase did not originate from any official statement by Shehu or the EFCC. Instead, it appears to be a sarcastic or sensationalized spin on the allegations, likely created by social media users.
Going by the status of the investigation into the scandal till late 2025, no official statement had been released by the Nigerian government clarifying the allegations against Halima Shehu.
The delay in concluding the investigation has led to public calls for the EFCC to release its report and for accountability regarding the scandal.
While no verifiable news report from reliable sources indicates that Halima Shehu confessed to stealing N44 billion “by mistake,” claims of such a confession have only appeared on social media platforms, which Shehu and her lawyers have publicly denied and threatened legal action against media outlets that published them.
The story, according to investigation, has largely appeared as distorted account of a financial misconduct scandal that occurred in January 2024.
President Bola Tinubu had in January 2024, suspended Halima Shehu as part of a larger corruption probe within the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, prompted by an investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC’s investigation was triggered by the discovery of suspicious fund movements, reportedly between N17 billion and N44 billion, from NSIPA’s accounts into personal and corporate accounts without proper authorization.
The anti-graft agency later arrested Shehu for questioning and began freezing the accounts of her alleged associates who received the funds.
Reports from January 2024 indicated that a significant portion of the money had been recovered.
However, during the investigation, accusations flew between Shehu and her supervising minister, Betta Edu, leading to social media reports of “stole by mistake” narrative, which claimed Shehu alleged she moved the funds to protect them from Edu, who was also under investigation.
