Matawalle was the Governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023. His tenure was dogged by allegations of mismanagement of public funds and resources.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Friday, said it would revisit the probe of the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle over an alleged ₦70 billion case of money laundering while he was Zamfara State governor.
Matawalle was the Governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023. His tenure was dogged by allegations of mismanagement of public funds and resources.
The people of Zamfara State have expressed their concern over the lack of development in the state and the need for accountability in public offices.
A group under the aegis of Voice of the Voiceless in June 2023 staged a protest at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja to demand the arrest of Matawalle.
The group led by its Chairman, Nasiru Ismaila Doka, urged the anti-corruption body to re-open its earlier investigation into Matawalle's tenure, which could not be concluded because of the constitutional immunity clause protecting the governor at the time.
In a protest letter it submitted to the EFCC, the group said: “We the voice of the voiceless call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the former Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Mohammed Matawalle for the alleged misappropriation of public funds.
“This call comes amid growing concerns about corruption in Nigeria and the need for accountability in public offices.”
The EFCC had noted that 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 former governor through proxies and contractors who received payments for contracts that were not executed.
The commission’s investigation further revealed that several companies had received payments from the funds, with no evidence of service rendered to the state.
However, the Zamfara Alternative Forum on Friday, stormed the EFCC Headquarters in protest, urging the EFCC to revisit the probe of Matawalle over alleged money laundering during his tenure as the state governor.
Speaking during the protest, the group's spokesperson, Mahmud Abubakar, said, "The Zamfara Alternative Forum urges the EFCC to resume its investigation of former governor Bello Matawalle over the ₦70 billion fraud uncovered by the commission during his tenure as governor of Zamfara State.
"This will serve as a deterrent to others considering engaging in corrupt practices in public office, especially in addition to what happened to the humanitarian minister.
"The mismanagement of public funds has far-reaching effects on the people and the state. It leads to a lack of development, loss of revenue, and a decrease in the quality of life for the people."
Meanwhile, the EFCC's Acting Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, while speaking on the development in Abuja, assured the protesters that the case would be revisited.
According to him, EFCC believes that no case should be swept under the carpet.
He noted that if someone did something wrong and an investigation was able to establish a case, EFCC would proceed with the matter.
He said, "I want to thank the Zamfara Alternative Forum for doing this peacefully, we like this kind of peaceful protest and initiative by young Nigerians. I want to assure you that as far as the commission is concerned, nobody is above the law.
"What the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede has done since he assumed office is that he has reviewed all high-profile cases he inherited.
"And the EFCC Chairman has asked me to assure you that this case, like others, would not be an exception. The case will be reviewed, and the Chairman is assuring you that something will be done under the law, and no one is above the law and no case shall be swept under the carpet.”
"Rest assured that this case will be revisited because EFCC believes that no case should be swept under the law. If you have done something wrong and our investigation is able to establish that you have a case, we will proceed with the matter," he added.