By Zainab Rauf, Abuja A coalition of young members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the banner of the APC Young Lead...
By Zainab Rauf, Abuja
A coalition of young members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the banner of the APC Young Leaders Alliance (APC-YLA) on Friday staged a protest at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja, demanding the immediate resumption of a corruption investigation against the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle.
The demonstrators, who described themselves as a socio-political pressure group based in Kaduna, submitted a letter to the anti-graft agency questioning what they termed as the EFCC’s "conspicuous silence" on the matter despite previous statements and public petitions linking Matawalle to alleged financial misconduct.
“We write to formally request that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) reopen the investigation into allegations of corruption against Bello Mohammed Matawalle, Minister of State for Defence,” the letter read.
According to the group, official financial records from Matawalle’s tenure as governor of Zamfara State between 2019 and 2023 contradict his recent claim during a televised interview that his administration never received anything close to N70 billion in funds.
Spokesperson for the group, Mohammed Ireyi, told journalists that the EFCC’s inaction raises doubts about the agency’s impartiality.
“If former governors and ministers like Betta Edu, Yahaya Bello and Darius Ishaku have been investigated or arrested, why is Matawalle being shielded?” he asked. “Who is stopping the EFCC from doing its job?”
The protesters cited a May 2023 statement from the EFCC's former spokesperson, Osita Nwajah, which alleged that Matawalle was under investigation for “monumental corruption, award of phantom contracts and diversion of over N70 billion.”
Receiving the petition on behalf of the Commission, EFCC Acting Director of Security, Idowu Adedeji, assured the protesters that the letter would be delivered to the appropriate authorities within the agency.
While the EFCC previously confirmed in May 2024 that investigations into Matawalle would be pursued thoroughly, no visible progress has been made since then, according to the group.
The APC-YLA urged the EFCC to act swiftly to preserve its integrity and prove its commitment to tackling corruption, irrespective of political affiliations.
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