A face-off has erupted between the Concerned Northern Forum and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello  Matawalle, over allegations of embezzling over N528bn during his tenure as Governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023.

The group, led by its chairman, Alhaji Aliyu Sani, at a press conference in Kaduna on Monday, accused Matawalle of mismanaging funds from the Federation Account Allocation Committee, Joint Account Allocation Committee, and domestic loans.

But in a swift reaction, Suleiman  Shuaibu, who served as Matawalle’s Special Adviser on Bilateral and Multilateral Affairs, dismissed the allegations, describing the group as “faceless.”

Addressing a press conference in Kaduna, the group’s chairman,  Sani, expressed frustration that despite submitting petitions to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission—including those dated May 3, 2024, and September 30, 2024—the commission had yet to act.

“We have gathered facts and figures regarding Bello Matawalle’s alleged embezzlement of billions of naira. These are not mere allegations or speculations. We thought the investigation would reopen after our last visit to the commission’s headquarters, but nothing has happened,” Sani said.

He stated that Matawalle must explain the whereabouts of N290bn from FAAC, N133bn from JAAC, and N105bn in loans accessed during his tenure.

 “The money, which was sourced as a loan from an old-generation bank, purportedly for the execution of projects across the local government areas of the state, was allegedly diverted by the governor through proxies and contractors who received payment for contracts that were not executed.” 

Sani maintained that Matawalle, despite his current federal role, should be held accountable.

 “If all these former governors and ministers were not above the law and the EFCC, who would shield the former governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle from investigation?” he queried.

He also appealed to prominent Nigerians not to interfere with the commission’s work: “We, the Concerned Northern Forum, find it crucial to convene for a conference to openly call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to proceed with the corruption case initiated by the commission before the 2023 general election.”

The group commended the EFCC’s recent actions against ex-public officials such as Betta Edu and Yahaya Bello, and urged the agency to demonstrate similar commitment in Matawalle’s case “to uphold its credibility and neutrality in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.”

But in an interview with The PUNCH, Matawalle’s ex-special adviser,  Shuaibu, defended him, accusing the group of bellyaching over Matawalle’s continued rise politically.

“I know the budget of the state. I know the FAAC allocation and I know how we shared the FAAC allocations. I know what we left in the treasury of Zamfara State — N11bn before handing over,” he said.

Shuaibu said he was part of a transition committee composed of members from both the outgoing and incoming governments to ensure a smooth handover.

“It is even uncalled for, for anybody to come and say that Matawalle embezzled that kind of money,” he said.

He challenged the plausibility of the figures being bandied about.

“Where will he get that kind of money from to squander? How much is the state allocation? It’s N4bn, and if it goes up, we get N5bn and in that N5bn, we paid salaries of workers to the tune of almost 8,670 staff.”

Describing the accusations as politically motivated, he said, “Matawalle has been elevated by God and our opponents don’t like it. They want to see Matawalle down and they will never see Matawalle down because he’s doing the assignment he was given to do and he’s doing it perfectly well.”