The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reacted to accusation of corruption and bribe-seeking from corruption suspects threw at its Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa.
Outgoing Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State levelled the impropriety at Bawa, claiming the 43-year-old demanded from him $2m bribe to refrain the EFCC from pressing corruption charges against him.
Matawalle, who levelled this at Bawa in an interview with BBC Hausa Service, said over 200 persons are in similar vein as him.
“If he(Bawa) 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 evidences of bribe he collected from them. He knows what he requested from me but I declined.
“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,” the governor had said.
The allegation is in consequence of the anti-graft Agency’s claim that the soon-to-be former governor embezzled over N70bn of Zamfara’s poor people’s money among others, and on account of that, a candidate for prosecution on leaving office in nine day’s time.
Reacting to Matawalle’s claim, the EFCC by a statement its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren wrote, said, “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn to a trending interview granted to the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, by Bello Muhammed Matawalle, governor of Zamfara State, where he allegedly made wild bribery allegations against the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa.
“Matawalle’s recourse to mudslinging is symptomatic of a drowning man clutching at straws. But despite the irritation of his phantom claims, the Commission will not be drawn into a mud fight with a suspect under its investigation for corruption and unconscionable pillage of the resources of his state. If Matawalle will be taken seriously, he should go beyond sabre-rattling by spilling the beans – provide concrete evidence as proof of his allegations.
“Again, the Commission wishes to alert the public about plans by some of the alleged corrupt politically exposed persons to flee the country ahead of May 29. The Commission is working in close collaboration with its international partners to frustrate these escape plans and bring those involved to justice.”
