The Traffic

EFCC Holds Tambuwal Over Alleged Diversion of ₦189bn From Sokoto Coffers

Former Sokoto State Governor and current senator, Waziri Aminu Tambuwal, is in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over what investigators have described as suspicious withdrawals totalling ₦189,155,043,825.09 from state accounts during his time in office.

Sources within the EFCC told reporters that the transactions, allegedly carried out over six of his eight years as governor, were spread across three key state accounts — the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account, the Government House account, and the Secretary to the State Government account.

Tambuwal, who arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, reportedly went straight into questioning and was expected to remain in detention overnight.

Five other individuals — including identified government officials and cashiers — have been linked to the transactions and may serve as witnesses or co-defendants. According to an EFCC insider, the withdrawals potentially breach the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.

Financial records reviewed by the agency indicate that between January 1, 2015, and August 31, 2021, the three accounts received a combined inflow of ₦567,160,024,619.93. Out of this amount, ₦189.1 billion was allegedly channelled to officials, private individuals, companies, and various groups without lawful justification.

The EFCC’s internal report concluded that there was a “high degree of confidence” in the involvement of the named individuals in the diversion and laundering of public funds. The agency recommended further scrutiny of other Sokoto State government accounts and flagged specific transfers to private firms such as Nagarta Microfinance Bank and Bilya Micro System.

When contacted, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale declined to comment.

Opposition Party Cries Foul
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), which Tambuwal recently joined after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has condemned the EFCC’s action, accusing the commission of targeting political opponents of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement signed by ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party alleged that the anti-graft body has become “a political enforcer” rather than a neutral defender of the public interest.

Abdullahi claimed that several opposition leaders have received EFCC summons in recent weeks, not over new offences but on old cases “revived” for political reasons.

“The EFCC’s mandate is to uphold the trust of the Nigerian people, applying the law fairly to all parties,” the statement read. “Instead, it now appears to operate like a department of the APC, going after critics while quietly shelving cases involving ruling party members.”

The ADC accused the EFCC of selective prosecution, warning that such practices erode public confidence in anti-corruption institutions. The statement cited an unnamed former governor whose investigations allegedly vanished after he defected to the APC.

“This is not justice,” Abdullahi declared. “It sends the dangerous message that political alignment, rather than evidence, determines who gets investigated in Nigeria.”

The party called on citizens, civil society groups, and the independent press to resist what it described as “the misuse of public institutions for partisan purposes,” adding: “The EFCC belongs to the Nigerian people, not the ruling party. It is funded by taxpayers, not political patrons.”

By Haruna Yakubu Haruna