The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has slammed claims of declaring former Governor of Zamfara state, Bello Matawalle wanted.
A report from Tribune on Saturday claimed the former lawmaker had been declared wanted by EFCC over alleged corruption during his time in office. The report also stated that the Department of State Services (DSS) had been ordered to arrest Matawalle “anywhere he is seen” in the country.
Reacting to the report, a statement signed by the commission’s Head, Media & Publicity Wilson Uwujaren rebuffed these claims, stating that they are incorrect.
The statement reads: “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to a report, entitled, Alleged N70b Fraud: EFCC Declares Ex-Zamfara Gov, Matawalle Wanted, which appeared in the Sunday Tribune of June 18, 2023, and purports that the Commission had declared a former Zamafara State governor, Bello Matawalle wanted and requested the Department of State Service, DSS, to arrest him, “anywhere he is seen”.
Without prejudice to the case involving the former governor, the report is incorrect as the Commission has yet to declare Matawalle wanted or solicit the assistance of any Agency, including the DSS, to effect his arrest.
The Commission has a standard procedure for declaring persons wanted and communicating the same to the public, not through faceless “security sources”.
Recall before the end of his tenure, Matawalle during an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation, accused now suspended EFCC chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, of demanding a $2m bribe from him, an allegation the anti-graft agency has since denied.
He blasted the EFCC for their services, stating that they enjoyed atatcking governors instead of federal officials with big budgetary allocations.
Matawalle has been under investigation by the EFCC for allegedly siphoning state funds close to N70 billion through unexecuted contracts awarded to his comrades.
