…Ready To Render Self, Assist EFCC On The Investigation
Zamfara State Governor, Bello Muhammad Matawalle has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the allegations against him by Sahara Reporters that, he has allegedly stashed away cash in Billions of Naira.
The Governor made the call in a letter written to the anti-graft agency by his Lawyers, Ozhekhome Chambers, signed by Mike Ozekhome SAN, dated, November 8th, 2022.
The letter addressed to the EFCC Chairman, Abdulrashid Bawa reads in parts, “We are Solicitors to His Excellency, Hon. (Dr.) Bello Mohammed Matawalie, MON, FSESN, the Governor of Zamfara State and the Shattiman Sokoto, whose office address is at Zamfara State Government House, Gusau (“our Client’).
“It is upon his firm and express instructions that we write this letter to you, in response to the above baseless, fanciful and unfounded allegations made against our client.
“Our client categorically states that the entire story amounts to sheer smear campaign mounted against him by political opponents who are driven by malignant political vendetta and vicious desperation against our client’s ambition to regain his seat as Governor of Zamfara State come 2023.
“This letter comes on the heels of an earlier letter writ with to you by our client, with a view to dispelling the cocktail of lies woven around our client with a view to presenting the correct facts and our client’s clear position to you”.
The letter stated that, Governor Matawalle is known and respected by all and sundry for his fight against societal evils like insurgency, armed banditry, kidnapping and other related crimes.
The letter added, “it therefore came as a great shock to our client when his attention was drawn to a false and malicious publication by Sahara Reporters on 4th November, 2022, titled, “EXCLUSIVE: BILLIONS OF NAIRA CASH STASHED IN ABUJA, KANO, PORT HARCOURT HOMES OF NIGERIAN GOVERNORS WIKE, GANDUJE, MATAWALLE UNCOVERED BY ANTI-GRAFT AGENCY, EFCC”.
It therefore stated that, the sensational, false heading and contents of the article have clearly defamed and denigrated the Governor’s character and person, as the online medium falsely stated that he is allegedly one of the three serving State Governors that the EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, had said were “being monitored over their moves to launder stashed billions of naira through the payment of salaries to workers”.
It added, “Our client is greatly distressed to see his name listed as having participated in an alleged offence he knows nothing about. It is noteworthy that our client has again and again made public his great abhorrence to all forms criminality.
“It is on record that our client has in the past made public declarations, swearing by the name of Almighty Allah, to demonstrate his allergy to all forms of aiding and abetting crimes. Our client has also publicly challenged all public officials to do the same.
“Our client states that it is simply demonic and inconceivable that he could be involved in, or be accused of stashing such humongous sums of money in undisclosed and unidentified houses”.
According to the letter, Governor Matawalle has since coming into office been battling with insecurity, a “no-fly-zone”, stoppage of gold mining activities, and the huge bank loans and soaring interest rates, some of which were inherited from past governments.
It however lamented that, despite his efforts to tackle the myriads of chailenges, he is being falsely being accused of stashing money in some phoney places, bringing him into great disrepute, public odium, obloquy and derision.
The letter further added, “The said false publications have not only tarnished the hard-earned reputation, image, integrity and character of our client in the eyes of reasonable members of the public.
“They have also caused him great distress, psychological trauma and to loss of confidence amongst the good the people of his Zamfara State, and Nigerians in general; people he has sworn to serve”.
The Governor therefore urged the EFCC Chairman to thoroughly investigate this false, malicious and baseless claims by Sahara Reporters that he is one of the Governors being monitored over the alleged monies allegedly stashed away ”in billions of naira for the payment of salaries to workers” to evade scrutiny over the Naira re-design.
The lawyers added, “Our client has voluntarily offered himself to be thoroughly Investigated for the purpose of unearthing these alleged humongous monies. Our client offers his full support, cooperation and assistance in his own interrogation and that of close associates, with a view to ensuring that the truth comes to light.
“In the event that there exists any iota of truth these false allegations, that you cause your good offices to visit, invade, inspect, seize and commandeer any property allegedly containing some stashed cash which allegedly belong to him.
“That in the event that such property wherein the money is allegedly hidden is found locked, that our client gives his permission for such property to be forcibly broken down, with a view to recover the “money stashed in its billions”.
They however reiterated that, If the claim is found to be false, and a mere attempt at denigrating, defaming and humiliating their client for political gains by cowardly political opponents, a special task force consisting of members of each of the anti-graft agencies, a team of lawyers and the DSS should be set up to uncover the truth and fish out the perpetrators responsible for the deceitful and defamatory publication:
The therefore demanded that, “We expect that this petition shall receive maximum attention and be treated as a matter of EXTREME URGENCY, in order not to avoid swaying gullible and innqsent members of the general public from believing these fake news, and thus mitigate the spread of such fake news”.
