Ex-Zamfara Gov, Matawalle, Not Declared Wanted – EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said that it has not declared the immediate-past governor of Zamfara State, Muhammad Bello Matawalle, wanted contrary to news reports by some national dailies on Sunday.

Reacting to the news report captioned, “Alleged N70b Fraud: EFCC Declares Ex-Zamfara Gov, Matawalle Wanted”, EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, described the report as false as the agency has procedures for declaring anyone wanted.

Part of the EFCC statement stated, “the attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has been drawn to a report, entitled, Alleged N70b Fraud: EFCC Declares Ex-Zamfara Gov, Matawalle Wanted, which appeared in the Sunday Tribune of June 18, 2023 and purports that the commission had declared a former Zamafara State governor, Bello Matawalle wanted and requested the Department of State Service, DSS, to arrest him, ‘anywhere he is seen’.

“Without prejudice to the case involving the former governor, the report is incorrect as the commission has yet to declare Matawalle wanted or solicit the assistance of any agency, including the DSS, to effect his arrest.

“The commission has standard procedure for declaring persons wanted and communicating same to the public, not through faceless ‘security sources’.”

It would be recalled that Matawalle and the EFCC had engaged each other in media battle over allegation of about N70 billion fraud against the former when he was governor of Zamfara State.

Matawalle had also accused the suspended chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, of demanding $2million bribe from him.