By Nana Ismail

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has received a fresh petition demanding the reopening of investigations into alleged corruption involving the Minister of State for Defence and former Zamfara State Governor, Bello Mohammed Matawalle.

The petition was submitted on Friday, May 9, 2025, by a group of protesters under the aegis of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Young Leaders Alliance at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja.

In a statement, the group’s convener, Mohammed Ireji, expressed frustration over what he described as the EFCC’s delay in taking action against Matawalle, despite several petitions submitted previously.

“We are here today to formally request that the EFCC reopen the investigation into the corruption allegations against Bello Mohammed Matawalle,” Ireji said.

He recalled that notable petitions had earlier been submitted, including one from the APC Akida Forum on May 3, 2024, and a follow-up petition on September 30, 2024.

According to the group, the former governor should not be shielded from scrutiny, especially when other former officials have faced similar investigations.

“We have commended the EFCC’s commitment to fighting corruption in the past, particularly in its handling of cases involving former Minister Betta Edu, former Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, and former Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State. So why the delay in Matawalle’s case?” the statement queried.

Receiving the petition on behalf of the Commission, the Acting Director of Security at the EFCC, Idowu Adedeji, assured the group that the matter would be forwarded to the appropriate quarters for action.

“We have received your petition today and we will submit it accordingly. Thank you for your visit,” Adedeji said.

As of press time, there has been no official response from the Minister of State for Defence regarding the allegations or the renewed call for investigation.