group of protesters from the All Progressives Congress (APC) Akida Forum have stormed the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday, submitting a petition against the current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.
The petition alleged that Matawalle was involved in a N390billion fraud during his tenure as the former Governor of Zamfara State.
Meanwhile, EFCC has pledged to thoroughly investigate the allegation against the former Governor, Matawalle.
Receiving the protesters, EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, assured them that the Commission was committed to upholding justice and will exhaust all avenues to investigate the claims against Matawalle.
Oyewale said, “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.”
At a press conference held at the EFCC headquarters, Mallam Musa Mahmud, representing the group, emphasised their awareness of the Commission’s investigation into alleged corruption involving former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
He pointed out that last Friday, the EFCC arrested former Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku on similar corruption allegations and questioned why no action had been taken against the former governor of Zamfara State.
“We are confident that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) possesses all the necessary information regarding financial crimes in the country. However, it is crucial to ascertain the total funds the Zamfara State Government received between 2019 and 2023 under Bello Matawalle’s administration.
“Our concerns are heightened by the fact that the former governor recently appeared on a live TV programme, misleading the public by claiming he did not receive anything close to N70 billion during his four years in office as governor of Zamfara State.
“We call on the EFCC to thoroughly investigate this issue to maintain its credibility and impartiality in the fight against corruption in Nigeria,” Mahmud added.