The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested former Sokoto State governor and serving senator, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, over allegations of large-scale financial misconduct involving N189 billion.
Sources within the anti-graft agency confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Tambuwal was taken into custody on Monday at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, where he is currently being interrogated by a special team of investigators.
According to preliminary findings, the probe centres on a series of cash withdrawals reportedly made during his tenure as governor between 2015 and 2023. The transactions, allegedly running into hundreds of billions of naira, are suspected to be in violation of provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, which limits cash withdrawals by public officials and mandates transparent banking processes.
Investigators are said to be examining whether the funds were diverted from state accounts for personal or political use, as well as tracking the beneficiaries of the alleged illicit payments. The EFCC has reportedly obtained bank documents, payment vouchers, and testimonies from former aides and state officials as part of the inquiry.
Tambuwal, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives and a key figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), arrived at the EFCC’s corporate headquarters at about 11:30 a.m. on Monday. He was immediately ushered into a closed-door session with interrogators, and as of press time, had not been released.
The arrest is the latest in the EFCC’s ongoing crackdown on former governors and high-ranking public officials accused of mismanaging public funds. In recent months, the commission has intensified efforts to recover billions allegedly siphoned from state coffers.
EFCC officials have yet to issue a formal statement on Tambuwal’s detention, but insiders suggest the investigation could lead to formal charges in the coming weeks if sufficient evidence is established.
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