The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has alleged that the Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, stole a whooping N70billion from the state coffers.
EFCC revealed this information in a press conference on Thursday with journalists by its spokesman Osita Nwajah.
Recall that Matawalle had earlier accused the EFCC of bias and suggested the agency should focus its search light also on the Presidency and its officials for investigation.
EFFC had used the press conference to reply to Matawalle and put him on notice that he was under investigation and would be arrested once he leaves office.
Nwajah said the investigations of the EFCC revealed the existence of more than 100 companies that had been used by Matawalle to defraud the state using the method of receiving payments for work not done.
The EFCC said several of the contractors were questioned and made shocking admissions indicting the Governor who forced them to return the money they were paid and even convert them to US Dollars before transmitting back to the Governor.
In particular, the EFCC mentioned a contractor who was paid N6billion out of a N10billion contract without carrying out the contract and another contractor who changed N400million to US Dollars which attracted the attention of the EFCC. The cash was all allegedly traced back to Governor Matawalle.
The Nigerian constitution provides legal immunity for serving Governors from prosecutions and can only be apprehended when they leave power.
Matawalle who is a Governor under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will leave office on May 29th having lost his re-election bid to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dauda Lawal. Matawalle was first elected as Governor under the PDP but he subsequently decamped to the APC.
The EFCC asked Governor Matawalle to be ready to be arrested and prosecuted for criminal theft of funds belonging to Zamfara State, once his tenure expires on May 29th.
