Politically exposed persons under investigation after us, says EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, May 18, 2023, raised the alarm of a campaign by politically exposed persons under the Commission’s investigation for alleged corrupt practices to discredit the agency and its leadership.

The Commission made the disclosure while responding to a statement credited to the Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Muhammed Matawalle, in which he criticized EFCC’s investigation of state governors and alleged corruption in the agency’s handling of assets disposal and plea bargain processes.

But Osita Nwajah, Director Public Affairs of the Commission who addressed journalists at the Commission’s headquarters, Abuja, said Matawalle’s outburst was tantamount to corruption fighting back, as the governor is under investigation for alleged corruption that bordered on contract fraud and diversion of funds meant for the execution of projects in the local government areas to the tune of N70 billion.

According to him, “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.

“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”.

He said the attack by the governor did not come as a surprise to the Commission, as it has become the trend for corrupt element to attempt to destabilize the commission’s leadership during periods of political transition,

“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?”