- EFCC: It’s Corruption Fighting Back, Matawalle is paranoid, scared
- Governor: EFCC Boss demanded $2m Bribe from me
The investigation of the Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle for alleged corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has degenerated into a war of words as both parties trade accusations.
The EFCC insists that the governor misappropriated N70 billion of the state’s resources for which he must be held accountable. But in response, the governor has made serious allegations against the anti corruption agency, including the claim that the EFCC Chairman, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, demanded $2 billion bribe from him.
However, in a twist, the EFCC Chairman, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, represented by the commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Mr Osita Nwajah, said in Abuja, that the only thing that has stopped the anti-corruption agency from arresting the governor was the immunity clause that protects state governors and their deputies from prosecution.
His statement came days after Matawalle accused the EFCC of bias in selecting who to investigate, accusing the agency of having sacred cows.
The governor also challenged the EFCC to probe people working with President Muhammadu Buhari, including cabinet ministers saying that it is too timid to go after people loyal to the president.
Reacting to these allegations, the EFCC boss who dismissed the claims as unfounded said the governor was merely casting aspersions on the integrity of the EFCC.
“What is at play here is a pure case of corruption fighting back. Matawalle’s outburst is a product of paranoia, an uncomfortable exertion arising from the heat of EFCC’s lawful activities,” he said.
According to the statement, “the real issue with Matawalle is that he is being investigated by the EFCC over allegation of monumental corruption, award of phantom contracts and diversion of over N70 billion. The money which was sourced as 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,” he added.
Bawa maintained that the governor would have been in the EFCC custody but for the immunity clause. “In Nigeria, state governors and their deputies enjoy immunity from criminal prosecution while in office, a reason the EFCC has yet to arrest Governor Matawalle.”
Bawa said that the Commission’s investigations so far have revealed how more than 100 companies received payments from the funds, with no evidence of service rendered to the state.
“Some of the contractors who had been invited and quizzed by the commission, made startling revelations on how they were allegedly compelled by the governor to return the funds received from the state coffers to him. This was done through his aides after converting the same to United States Dollars.
“They confirmed that they did not render any service to Zamafara state but were allegedly directed to convert the monies paid to them into United States Dollar, “ he added.
According to the EFCC, the governor allegedly get back these monies as return through some of his commissioners, notably the Commissioners in charge of Finance and Local Government Affairs.
Speaking further, the EFCC chairman, said one of the contractors, a popular Abuja property developer, collected N6 billion on a N10 billion contract without rendering any service to Zamfara State.
“Another contractor collected over N3 billion for a contract for the supply of medical equipment but the Commission traced a payment of N400million from his account to a Bureau de Change operator. The contractor confessed the payment was to procure the dollar equivalent allegedly for the state governor,” he said.
Bawa further said as part of the extensive investigation of contracts awarded by the Matawalle administration, especially for phantom projects in the local government areas, the commission had recovered N300 million from a company, Fezel Nigeria Limited.
According to him, it is intriguing that Matawalle would want to take on the role of a supervisor, who tells the EFCC whom to investigate. He wondered if this was the case of a “A thief saying he must not be touched until other ‘’thieves’’ are caught.
“Unfortunately, it is not within Matawalle’s remit to dictate to the EFCC whom to arrest, when and where. Suspects in the custody of the Commission cut across all sectors and social class.
“The qualification to get a space in the Commission’s detention facility, is to commit a crime. It does not matter whether you are a priest , Imam, Governor or minister.
“Currently, a former minister of power is in the custody of the EFCC over a N22 billion corruption allegation. That conveniently did not attract Matawalle’s attention,” he said.
However, a new twist was further added to the saga when Governor Mutawalle over the weekend accused the EFCC boss of demanding $2billion bribe from his person.
In an interview with BBC Hausa on Friday, the governor claimed that Mr. Bawa is a serial bribe taker who had approached hundreds of other people to give him bribe so he could quash their cases.
“If he exits office, people will surely know he is not an honest person. I have evidence against him. Let him vacate the office, I am telling you within 10 seconds probably more than 200 people will bring evidence of bribes he collected from them. He knows what he requested from me but I declined,” said the governor.
Giving further details, Mutawalle added that, “He requested a bribe of two million dollars from me and I have evidence of this. He knows the house we met, he invited me and told me the conditions. He told me governors were going to his office but I did not. If I don’t have evidence, I won’t say this.”
Alleged $2m Bribe is pure mudslinging says EFCC
In a swift response to the governor’s latest allegations, the EFCC chairman described the $2m bribery allegations levied against him by the Zamfara State governor, as mere “mudslinging symptomatic of a drowning man clutching at straws.” Bawa who said he will not trade words with a suspect under its investigation charged the governor to provide evidence of his claim if he wants to be taken seriously.
He assured that, “despite the irritation of these phantom claims, the Commission will not be drawn into a mud fight with a suspect under its investigation for corruption and unconscionable pillage of the resources of his state.”
In another development, the Commission also alerted the public about plans by some allegedly corrupt politically exposed persons to flee the country ahead of May 29.
“The Commission is working in close collaboration with its international partners to frustrate these escape plans, and bring those involved to justice,” said the EFCC.
It would be recalled that the EFCC had concluded plans to go after some outgoing governors after May 29.
