Matawalle accuses EFCC chairman Bawa of soliciting $2m bribe

Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, are locked in a deepening crisis marked by accusations and counter-accusations.

In a recent statement, Governor Matawalle called for Bawa’s resignation, alleging corruption and claiming to possess evidence to substantiate his claims.

The Zamfara State governor accused the anti-graft boss of requesting a bribe of $2million from him.

Matawalle said: “He requested a bribe of $2 million from me and I have evidence of this. He knows the house we met, he invited me and told me the conditions. He told me governors were going to his office but I did not. If I don’t have evidence, I won’t say this.”

Responding swiftly, the EFCC Chairman refuted the allegations and urged Governor Matawalle to submit any evidence he possess to the appropriate authorities for investigation.

Bawa further revealed that Matawalle himself is currently under investigation for allegedly embezzling over N70 billion.

Undeterred, Governor Matawalle reiterated his distrust of Bawa in an interview with BBC Hausa.

He questioned the focus solely on governors and emphasized that the federal government also holds treasury funds, prompting him to inquire about the EFCC’s actions concerning federal officials.

Matawalle stood firmly by his allegations, asserting that if Bawa were to step down, a multitude of individuals would come forward within seconds with evidence of bribes they claim to have offered to the EFCC chairman.

In response to Bawa’s allegation that Matawalle is being investigated, the governor declared: “If he exits office, people will surely know he is not an honest person. I have evidence against him. Let him vacate office, I am telling you within 10 seconds probably more than 200 people will bring evidence of bribes he collected from them. He knows what he requested from me but I declined.”