The former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf was on Wednesday arrested by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) over alleged N4 billion fraud, amongst others.
It was reported that the EFCC operatives arrested the professor of haematology-oncology and bone marrow transplantation in his Abuja house in the presence of his wife and children at about 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The arrest followed an ongoing investigation into an allegation that he inflated ICT budget from N4.975 billion to N8.7 billion and approved payments beyond his approval limit.
Sources familiar with the development told our correspondent that Yusuf is currently being held and grilled in EFCC custody.
“He awarded contracts to Lubekh Nigeria Limited, a company where his nephew Khalifa Hassan Yusufu is a director,” a top EFCC source disclosed
It was learned that investigation into these allegations was prompted by a petition dated 31 October, 2018, signed by one Attahiru Ibrahim.
The petition alleged fraudulent practices and impunity perpetrated by Prof. Usman Yusuf during his tenure as Executive Secretary of NHIS.
When contacted over the development, the spokesperson for the EFCC – Dele Oyewale confirmed Mr Yusuf’s arrest.
“Yes, Mr Yusuf is in our custody, he’ll be arraigned in court on Thursday,” Mr Oyewale said.
