EFCC detains ex-Sokoto Governor Tambuwal

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal over corruption allegations.

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EFCC sources, who asked not to be named because they were not permitted to speak to the press on the matter, said the former governor was detained at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday over alleged fraudulent cash withdrawals to the tune of N189 billion.

Although details of the allegations were sketchy as of press time, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the EFCC went after him in the belief that the withdrawals were in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022.

According to them, Mr Tambuwal, who was the speaker of the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2015, arrived the EFCC’s headquarters around 11:30 a.m. on Monday.

The 59-year-old was still facing interrogations by detectives as of Monday evening, the sources said.

Mr Tambuwal, who became the House of Representatives speaker in 2011 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), became a pioneer member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which swept to power at the centre in 2015.

Mr Tambuwal rode on the popularity of the APC to become the governor of Sokoto State. Before the 2019 general elections, he returned to the PDP. He ran for and won second term as governor in 2019.

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In the twilight of his second and final term as governor, he won the election to the Senate to represent Sokoto South.

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Mr Tambuwal is one of the key opposition leaders promoting the ADC coalition, which aims to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.

EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, declined comment on Mr Tambuwal’s detention Monday evening.