Police operatives, in the early hours of Friday, June 9, raided the residence of the immediate past governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, over vehicles allegedly taken away by officials of his administration.

The former Minister of Aviation and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Femi Fani-Kayode, disclosed this via a post on his Twitter account on Friday.

Sharing the pictures of the police officers at Matawalle’s residence, Fani-Kayode stated: “This morning a detachment of policemen raided the home of my brother, the former Gov. of Zamfara state, Bello Matawalle in Maradun.

“They claimed to be looking for cars. They did not have a search or arrest warrant and they claimed to be acting on the orders of the new Governor. This is unacceptable. It is not only vindictive but also lawless and it stands condemned.”

The Star recalls that Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, on Sunday, June 4, gave Matawalle an ultimatum of five days to return vehicles allegedly taken away by officials of his administration.

READ ALSO: EFCC: How Zamfara governor stole N70bn state funds

Lawal, who gave the ultimatum via a statement issued by his spokesman, Sulaiman Idris, vowed to recover looted funds and properties of the state government.

Giving the details of the alleged missing vehicles, the governor said: “Our government is determined in fulfilling the campaign promises made to the good people of Zamfara State which involves the swift recovery of looted public funds and properties.

“We have the facts and records available that expose Matawalle’s impropriety. Where is the lie? A contract was awarded by the former governor, for the purchase of vehicles to be distributed to dignitaries and Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) at the cost of N1,149,800,000. The contract for the purchase of the vehicles was awarded to Hafkhad Properties and Facilities Management Nig. Ltd.

“The money was meant for the purchase of a Toyota Lexus VIP Bullet Proof 2021 Model; Toyota Land Cruiser VIP Bullet Proof 2021 Model; Toyota Prado V6 2021 Model; Toyota Prado V4 2021 Model; Peugeot 2021 Model; Toyota Hilux 2021 Model; Toyota Land Cruiser Bullet Proof 2021; and Toyota Lexus 2021 Model.

“We have communicated officially to former Governor Bello Matawalle and his Deputy to return all the missing vehicles within five working days,” he stated.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had, on May 18, 2023, revealed how Matawalle stole N70 billion from the state treasury.

The EFCC Director of Public Affairs, Osita Nwajah, stated that the governor is under investigation that bordered on contract fraud and diversion of funds meant for the execution of projects in the Local Government Areas of the state to the tune of N70 billion.

Reacting, Matawalle accused the chairman of the anti-graft agency, Abdulrasheed Bawa, of demanding $2 million bribe from him.

The Star