The All Progressives Congress (APC) Akida Forum has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to reopen the alleged corruption case against the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.
The group who protested at the Headquarters of the EFCC in Abuja expressed their satisfaction with the performance of the current leadership of the Commission Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in its fight against corruption without any bias.
According to a statement signed by the Chairman of the group, Mallam Musa Mahmud the group said “We formally request that the commission reopen the investigation into the corruption allegations against Bello Mohammed Matawalle, the State Minister for Defense.
“This call comes amidst growing concerns about corruption in Nigeria and the bold steps taken by our APC administration in recent decisions regarding government officials suspected of embezzlement, including former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello, among others”.
The group recalled that on the 18th May 2023, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), through its then Director, Media and Public Affairs, Osita Nwajah Nwajah, said that the EFCC is investigating Matawalle over allegations of monumental corruption, award of phantom contracts and diversion of over N70 billion.
“According to the EFCC, the money, which was sourced as a loan from an old-generation bank, purportedly for the execution of projects across the local government areas of the state, was allegedly diverted by the governor through proxies and contractors who received payment for contracts that were not executed.
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“The Commission’s investigations revealed that over 100 companies had received payments from the funds, with no evidence of service rendered to the state”, the group said.
The APC AKIDA Forum, therefore, appealed to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (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 minister.
The APC Akida Forum, as a political pressure group, commends the Federal Government for making bold decisions against corruption”, the group added.
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE