In apparent response to his earlier comment, The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has said it is probing Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, for allegedly misappropriating N70 billion funds for contracts.
The governor had on Wednesday told the EFCC to extend its investigative searchlight beyond governors leaving office but to also probe officials in the presidency.
The EFCC’s director of public affairs, Osita Nwajah told journalists in Abuja that Mr Matawalle was under probe under suspicion of diverting a whopping N70 billion through his cronies.
“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.
Official documents with the commission shows that over 100 companies have received payments from the funds, with no evidence of contract execution.
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, it was learnt at the briefing.
“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 N400 million 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.
“But the real issue with Matawalle is that he is being investigated by the EFCC, over allegations of monumental corruption, award of phantom contracts and diversion of over 70 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,” Nwajah said while addressing a press conference in Abuja less than 24 hours after the governor’s outburst.
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