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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reiterated its efforts to prosecute corrupt individuals, stressing that nobody was above the law.
This is even as it said it would revisit the N70 billion alleged money laundering case against former Zamfara State Governor, and current Minister of State Defence, Bello Matawalle.
EFCC maintained that all high profile cases left behind by its former Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, has been reviewed.
Its acting Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this when Zamfara Alternative Forum (ZAF) protested at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The Forum on Friday, stormed the EFCC Headquarters in protest and charged the EFCC to revisit the case to a logical conclusion.
The former governor was under probe by the anti-corruption agency during the tenure of Abdulrasheed Bawa, for allegedly pocketing of N70 billion from the Zamfara State government coffers.
Responding, Uwujaren assured the protesters that the matter will be looked into, maintaining that the anti-graft agency under Ola Olukoyede would not ignore high profile cases.
He said: “I want to thank the Zamfara people for doing this peacefully. We like this kind of peaceful initiative by young Nigerians, I want to assure you that as far as the commission is concerned, nobody is above the law.
“What the EFCC chairman has done since he assumed office is that he has reviewed all high-profile cases he inherited.
“And he asked me to assure you that this case would not be an exception like others that and it will be reviewed, and he is assuring you that something will be done under the law and no one is above the law and no case shall be swept under the carpet.
“Be rest assured that this case will be revisited because EFCC believes that no case should be swept under the law. If you have done something wrong and our investigation is able to establish that you have a case, we will proceed with the matter.”
Earlier, Chairman of the Forum, Musa Sa’idu, who led the protesters, said their demands came amid growing concerns about corruption in Nigeria and the bold steps taken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in recent decisions regarding officials of his government suspected of embezzlement.
Sa’idu recalled that the commission’s investigations revealed that over 100 companies had received payments from the funds, with no evidence of service rendered to the state.
He said: “The Zamfara Alternative Forum is urging the EFCC to continue investigating the alleged mismanagement of public funds by Bello Mohammed Matawalle during his tenure as the Governor of Zamfara State.
“We want the EFCC to investigate the matter and bring those responsible for the mismanagement of public funds to justice. This will serve as a deterrent to others considering engaging in corrupt practices in public office, especially in addition to what happened to the humanitarian minister.
“The mismanagement of public funds has far-reaching effects on the people and the state. It leads to a lack of development, loss of revenue, and a decrease in the quality of life for the people.”
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