The former controversial Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, has been grilled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the ill-fated recruitment in the Nigerian Immigration Service which claimed more than a dozen lives across several recruitment centres in Nigeria.

An official of the EFCC confirmed that Mr Moro was quizzed by a team of investigators at the EFCC office in Abuja on Tuesday.

Mr Moro defended himself, alleging that he is being used as a scapegoat for the outcome of the employment exercise supervised by the Presidential Committee.

He said that the exercise was clearly undertaken by the immigration office lead by the former Comptroller General of Immigration, Mr David Paradang.

After the stampeded that led to the death of some applicants in March 2014, Mr Moro attributed the incident to faulty crowd control, saying that the ministry did its best to ensure a hitch-free exercise for the applicants.

He said the incident was an ‘unforeseen occurrence which was regrettable’.

The incident was witnessed in four centres – the Federal Capital Territory, Benin City, Port Harcourt and Minna in Niger State.