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Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal has accused the immediate past governor, Bello Matawalle of stealing over ₦70 billion from the state government.

Governor Lawal decried that despite evidence made available to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), not much has been done by the commission to recover the loot.

In an interview with TVC, on Wednesday, Lawal noted that he was surprised that security agencies cleared the former governor of the state to be minister despite allegations against him.

He disclosed this while reacting to a question on why EFCC and security agencies have not taken action on the allegations of banditry involvement and looting of Zamfara’s treasury by the Minister of State for Defence.

Lawal said, “In May last year, 2023, there was this allegation of misappropriating over ₦70 billion. And when we took over, we realized that that ₦70 billion was a child’s play compared to what we have. And all these information are before the EFCC. And I wonder how this guy was cleared by the security operatives before he’s confirmed as a minister.”

He added that Matawalle, as a father of 41 children, owes his children a duty of keeping a good legacy. He challenged him to clear his name.

“And the same thing I will say, if I were him, I will still face the EFCC to say that, look, let me clear my name. You know, this is a father of 41 children. For goodness sake, what kind of legacy is he going to leave for his children when you have been accused of misappropriating this amount of money? So he should have come out clean, face the EFCC, clear his name, and then come back and continue to do whatever he wants to do.

“Honestly, that would have been more honorable. But look at it, we are still waiting to hear from the EFCC. The case has been ongoing for over a year now. And this is people’s money. We need this money in Zamfara with all the challenges we are facing, with financial constraints. At least let’s have some of this money back into Zamfara so that we can work for the people of Zamfara State,” Governor Lawal stated.