The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said that it would continue with the alleged N70 billion corruption case against the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, during his tenure as the Governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023.
Addressing protesters under the aegis of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Akida Forum, who were at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Friday, to demand the reopening of the pending case, EFCC’s Acting Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Wilson Uwajuren told the group that once the EFCC opened an investigation, it would not be closed, and assured them that their demand would be looked into.
“I want to commend members of the APC Akida Forum for this peaceful protest. It is within your rights to protest. The Constitution guarantees the right of free expression and you have done that today. I want to assure you all that the EFCC does not close cases. Once we open an investigation into a case, we do not close such a matter. So I assure you that this petition will be looked into. Thank you very much”, he said.
Presenting a copy of their petition to the EFCC, Chairman of the group, Musa Mahmud asked the Commission to reopen the investigation into the corruption allegations against Matawalle.
He said that the call came amidst growing concerns about corruption in Nigeria and the bold steps taken by the APC administration regarding government officials suspected of embezzlement, including former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, among others.
Mahmud urged the EFCC to investigate the $2.1 billion arms deal, which included Matawalle among the dishonourable Nigerians and companies that benefited from the former National Security Adviser’s NSA scandal.
He further said: “The APC Akida Forum is appealing to EFCC to continue investigating Matawalle’s alleged mismanagement of public funds during his tenure as Governor of Zamfara State and his involvement in the famous arms deal scandal.
“As party loyalists, we want the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to investigate the matter and bring justice to those responsible for the mismanagement of public funds. This will serve as a deterrent to others considering engaging in corrupt practices in public office, especially considering what happened to the Humanitarian Affairs Minister”.
He added that he political pressure group commended the Federal Government for making bold decisions against corruption.
On 18 May 2023, the EFCC announced that it was investigating allegations of extensive corruption, fraudulent contract awards, and the misappropriation of more than N70 billion by Matawalle.
Meanwhile, members of the Zamfara Alternative Forum had staged a similar protest at the EFCC headquarters in January, asking the commission to revisit the probe of the former governor.
