The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has assured that it will carry out an investigation into the former Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, over alleged embezzlement of funds during his time in office.
The spokesman of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, while receiving protesters at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, stated that the Commission will do everything within its power to investigate the allegation.
“The EFCC will do everything within its power to investigate every act of economic and financial crime. We have been doing this, and we will continue to do so. I also want to use this forum to express that the Commission recognizes the right of Nigerians to peaceful protest. We will relay this message to the Executive Chairman, and necessary action will be taken,” he said.
The protesters, under the auspices of the APC Akida Forum, had gathered at the EFCC headquarters to lodge a petition urging the Commission to proceed with its investigation of the former Governor of Zamfara State, Matawalle, who is currently the Minister of State for Defense.
Addressing journalists at the EFCC headquarters on behalf of the group, Mallam Musa Mahmud noted that they had witnessed the Commission launch an investigation into the alleged corruption of former Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.
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He mentioned that last Friday, the Commission arrested former Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State over alleged corruption and questioned why action had not yet been taken against the former governor of Zamfara State.
“We are confident that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has access to all the facts regarding financial crimes in the country. Nevertheless, we believe it is necessary to determine the total funds that the Zamfara State Government received between 2019 and 2023 under Bello Matawalle.
“We are making these efforts because, to our dismay, the former governor appeared on a live TV program, misleading the public by stating that he did not receive anything close to N70 billion during his four-year tenure as governor of Zamfara State.
“We urge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate this matter in order to uphold its credibility and neutrality in the fight against corruption in Nigeria,” Mahmud added.
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