The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Nigeria’s first female Speaker of the House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh, over alleged contract scam.
Etteh is being questioned over a contract worth N240m awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in which she was paid N130 million through a company, Phil Jin Project Limited.
A source in the EFCC told PUNCH that the alleged incident happened in 2011 when NDDC awarded a contract of N240 million to Phil Jin Project Limited for the supply of solar powered street lights in some communities in Akwa Ibom.
“Shortly after the contract was awarded, the firm got N34m as an initial sum. Two weeks later, they received N253m, a total of N287m. This is despite the fact that the contract itself was worth N240m,” the source said.
Etteh resigned from her position as speaker on allegations of money laundering.
Her arrest on Tuesday came barely 24 hours after the accountant-general of the federation (AGF) Ahmed Idris was arrested over alleged N80 billion fraud.
