The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed its commitment to investigate claims of financial misconduct involving Bello Matawalle, Minister of State for Defense, following a petition from the All Progressives Congress Young Leaders Alliance (APC-YLA).
Matawalle stands accused of embezzling over ₦528 billion during his tenure as the Governor of Zamfara State.
This commitment was made during a protest at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Friday, where APC-YLA Convener, Mohammed Ireji, and other demonstrators pressed for the case to be reopened.
Ireji questioned the commission’s delay in acting on previous petitions, referencing submissions made by the APC Akida Forum on May 3 and September 30, 2024.
Upon receiving the latest petition, the EFCC’s Acting Director of Security, Idowu Adedeji, responded, “We have received your petition and we will submit it accordingly.”
The protesters demanded swift action, citing EFCC’s prior success in pursuing corruption cases involving former Minister Betta Edu, ex-Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, and former Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku.
The charges against Matawalle include the alleged misappropriation of ₦290 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), ₦133 billion from the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC), and an unaccounted-for ₦105 billion loan obtained during his time as governor. Ireji stressed that these claims are based on verifiable data.
“We are here today to formally request that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) reopen the investigation into the corruption allegations against Bello Mohammed Matawalle, the State Minister for Defense. We have gathered facts and figures regarding Bello Matawalle’s alleged embezzlement of billions of Naira,” Ireji said during the protest.
The protest also raised concerns about perceived selective prosecution and political bias in the EFCC’s anti-graft efforts. Ireji questioned,
“If all these former governors and ministers were not above the law and the EFCC, who would shield Matawalle from investigation?” he asked.
The APC-YLA commended the EFCC’s leadership for its previous accomplishments and urged it to apply the same resolve in the Matawalle case.
“We have lauded the performance and resilience of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) leadership in its fight against corruption without bias many times,” Ireji noted.
