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Corruption Fighting Back: Zamfara Gov, Matawalle Under Investigation for N70billion Fraud – EFCC
By Matthew Denis
The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has disclosed that the Zamfara state Governor, Bello Muhammad Matawalle is under her investigation over alleged divertion of N70billion fraud.
This was disclosed by the Commission Director of Public Affairs, Osita Nwajah during a media briefing on Thursday.
He said “the attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has been drawn to a statement credited to the Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Muhammed Matawalle, in which he attempted to cast aspersion on the integrity of the EFCC’s fight against corruption by making farcical allegations of corruption in assets disposal and plea bargain procedure, among others.
“These claims ought not to be dignified with a response. What is at play here is a pure case of corruption fighting back. Matawalle’s outburst is product of paranoia- an uncomfortable exertion arising from the heat of EFCC’s lawful activities.
“However, for the sake of some gullible citizens who might be swayed by the governor’s sudden burst of crusading zest, a measured response has become imperative to expose Matawalle’ outburst for what it is, a hollow gambit to deflect attention from the real issue.
According to him the issue has nothing to do with the transparency of EFCC’s asset recovery and disposal process. Contrary to the claims by Matawalle, the Commission supervised an asset disposal exercise that was widely acclaimed as the most transparent in the country’s history. Proceeds of the open and transparent exercise have since been remitted into the coffers of the Federal Government, and are being deployed in the provision of infrastructure for Nigerians.
“The issue is also not about plea bargain. Indeed, it is hypocritical for Matawalle to rile a process for which he has been a beneficiary. Plea bargain is a practice established by law, and the Commission has never gone outside of the law in the application of this principle. If Matawalle has any evidence of abuse of plea bargain process, he is at liberty to make the disclosure.
“It is intriguing that Matawalle would want to take on the role of a supervisor, who tells the EFCC whom to investigate. Is this a case of 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 N22billion corruption allegation. That conveniently did not attract Matawalle’s attention.
“Of course, these shenanigans are not strange. They appear to play out in cycles, particularly when the nation is in political transition. Virtually all the predecessors of the incumbent EFCC chairman suffered similar indignity at the hands of politically exposed persons under investigation for corruption. Who among the former chairmen of the Commission was not accused of pilfering recovered assets?
He stressed that the Commission would like to put the nation on notice to expect more of the kind of wild allegations made by Matawalle as those at the receiving end of EFCC’s investigations, fight viciously back.
“But 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 N70billion.
“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.
“The Commission’s investigations so far reveal that more than 100 companies have 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 back to him 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 and return to the State governor through some of his commissioners, notably the Commissioners in charge of Finance and Local Government Affairs.
He revealed that One of the contractors, a popular Abuja property developer, collected N6billion on a N10billion contract without rendering any service to Zamfara state. Another contractor collected over N3billion 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.
“As part of the extensive investigation of contracts award by the Matawalle administration, especially for phantom projects in the local government areas, the Commission has recovered a sum of N300million from a company, Fezel Nigeria Limited. The funds were traced to the Zamafara Investment Company.
“The EFCC investigation is the source of anxiety in Government House, Gusau, with the governor in mortal dread of his fate once he steps down as governor on May 29. 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.
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Maitama, on Tuesday, fixed October 21 for the continuation of the trial of a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele.
The trial judge, Justice Hamza Muazu, fixed the date on the agreement of the counsel after the close of the cross-examination of the ninth prosecution witness, Mrs Abibia Ockiya-Ogeleye.
Ockiya-Ogeleye, a lawyer, answering questions from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commision’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that she rendered some services to the company, Architekon Nigeria Limited.
She told the court that in 2021, she filed the company’s annual report and also changed the director and shareholders of the company.
She added that before the addition, Architekon had only two directors.
She said, “Sometime in 2021 one madam Esther called me to effect a change in the company by adding her as a director of the company.”
She tendered a CAC document, which contained the names of Margaret Omoyile, McCombo Omoyile and Esther Oyeladun Adeoun as shareholders.
She also tendered another document containing the record of transfer from McCombo to Margaret, dated March 4, 2021, as well as another document containing the resolution of the company on Esther’s admittance as a director of Architekon.
The witness also presented to the court a copy of an email she said Oyeladun sent her requesting that she be added as a director of the company.
Justice Muazu admitted all the documents as evidence.
The defence counsel, Mathew Burkaa (SAN), during cross-examination, asked the witness if she had a physical meeting with McCombo and she replied no.
He asked her about the signatures in the company documents she presented and if she saw McCombo sign on it.
She replied that she couldn’t tell whether they were at the meeting and signed the resolution since they were sent to her and she wasn’t physically there.
Earlier, the eight prosecution witnesses, a Zenith Bank Compliance Officer, Mr Umar Tilda, tendered three bank documents before the court which included a copy of Emefiele’s bank statement.
Tilda, citing a portion in Emefiele’s bank statement, informed the court that there was a N4 million transfer from Emefiele’s account with the bank to Architekon on January 13, 2015.
When Burkaa asked him if he knew what the transfer was meant for, he said he did not know.
Also when asked if he knew that the accounts he listed as belonging to Emefiele were salary accounts, investments, savings and dividends, he replied, “I wouldn’t know.”
He also confirmed that some of the accounts contained Capital Interest Credit.
He also confirmed that a transaction of N15 million debit, dated April 13, 2015, in count number 2020000064 was part of litigation.
The court adjourned till October 21, for the continuation of trial.
President Bola Tinubu has directed the setting up of a presidential committee to oversee the Cholera Emergency Operation Centre, operated by the National Centre For Disease Control.
The Minister of Health, Ali Pate, made this known on Tuesday after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.
He added that the committee’s effort is in addition to state government support to ensure Nigeria makes progress in reducing open defecation.
“The Council then approved a cabinet committee comprising the federal ministries of Health, Finance,Water Resources, Environment, Youth, Aviation, Education because some of our children will be returning to school . In addition to this, the state government, we will co-opt, so that Nigeria makes progress in reducing open defecation because cholera is a developmental issue that requires a multi-sectoral approach.
“The President directed that a cabinet committee be set up to oversee what the emergency operation centre led by NCDC is doing and for the resources to be provided complemented by the state government,” he said.
Pate further disclosed: “At the moment about 31 states have recorded 1528 cases and 53 deaths in Nigeria. That is what we are working through the Emergency Operation Centre that was activated by NCDC on Monday.
“Now we have a cholera outbreak and we discussed extensively in the Council in addition to a new emergence of Yellow Fever specifically in Bayelsa State.
“On cholera we are in the middle of the 7th pandemic globally which is decades in the making. In 2022, the world had almost 500,000 cases of cholera so it is not only peculiar to Nigeria. In 2023 almost 700,000 cases of cholera were reported by the World Health Organization.
“This year more than 200,000 cases have occurred in five regions of the World.”
He emphasised that a multi sectoral approach is required to tackle the outbreak .
“Resources were deployed to 21 states to help them respond to cholera. We are improving awareness of population, handwashing, hygiene sanitation, in addition to treatment with drugs, and intravenous fluids,” he added.
The National Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday hinted the people of Kwara State of imminent high and moderate floodings in five of the state’s local government areas as the rainy season sets.
The Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, gave the warning in Ilorin during the 2024 Downscaling of Flood Early Warnings Systems at state levels.
She listed the Local Government Areas, which are under high and moderate flood risk areas to include Pategi, Edu, Kaiama, Asa and Baruten.
The DG who was represented by the Director of Disaster Risk Reduction of NEMA, Mr Daniel Obot, however, called on the Kwara Government to take proactive measures to mitigate flooding in the state.
She underscored the importance of the programme for effective early actions to save lives and livelihoods during the rainy season.
According to her, the 2024 rainy season, indicates that some Local Government Areas of Kwara are still predicted to be affected by flooding.
Umar explained that this underscores the flag-off, and support in this initiative of downscaling flood early warning and risk mitigation messages to the grassroots.
Quoting the Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency, 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, she said that 31 States with 148 LGAs have been predicted to be within the high flood-risk areas.
She also added that 35 States including FCT with 249 LGAs are considered to fall within the modern flood risk areas.
“The remaining 377 LGAs are forecasted for the low flood risk areas. These flood risk areas are presented with their degree of vulnerability to serve as a tool for governments at all levels to develop risk reduction measures to avert disaster losses during this rainy season.
“Similarly, sectors of agriculture and food security, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), education, health, transportation, and persecution security amongst others are to set up mechanisms for disaster preparedness and risk reduction based on the early action strategies,” she said.
In his reaction, the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Saba Mamman-Jubril, commended the Agency for their proactive measures.
Jubril who represented Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq at the event advised on the need for dyke or levee, an embankment constructed along a riverbank or coastal shoreline to prevent the flow of floodwaters onto land.
He observed the need for frequent dredging, building of more buffers and aforestation to stem the dangers of flooding in communities.
Alhaji Ibrahim Olatunji, the Personal Assistant and representative of Oba of Jebba, Abdulkadir Adebara, appealed to the state government to relocate people in riverine communities, to save their lives.
Also, Alhaji Gana Lukpadu, the Ciroma of Patigi lamented that the community is always worse hit by flooding every year.
He urges the government at all tiers to find lasting solutions to flooding in the state and across the nation.
Court adjourns Emefiele’s trial till October 21
Cholera outbreak: Tinubu constitutes presidential c’ttee to oversee emergency operations
