Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has arrested former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal over shocking allegations of massive cash withdrawals totaling a staggering ₦189 billion during his eight-year tenure.
Tambuwal, who served from 2015 to 2023 and is a prominent figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was taken into custody on Monday at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja. He reportedly arrived around 11:30 a.m. and was still undergoing intense interrogation late into the evening as investigators grilled him over suspicious transactions alleged to have violated the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022.
According to top EFCC sources, the probe centers on unauthorized withdrawals of public funds under Tambuwal’s administration, transactions the commission says are “in clear breach of the Money Laundering Act.” The investigation has reportedly been ongoing for months, with evidence mounting before Monday’s dramatic arrest.
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EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale declined to comment on the case, stating that official details would be released after the interrogation is concluded.
However, the arrest has already ignited a political firestorm. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) accused the EFCC of selective prosecution, claiming the agency has become a “political weapon” of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement, ADC National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi alleged that the EFCC is deliberately reopening old cases against opposition figures while quietly abandoning investigations into ruling party allies. The statement argued that such “politically motivated” moves threaten the credibility of Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight and undermine public trust.
“These are not fresh cases backed by new evidence,” the ADC said. “They are dusty files revived in response to shifting political dynamics, all aimed at intimidating key opposition leaders. The EFCC was created to serve Nigerians with impartiality, not to act as an arm of the APC.”
The party further warned that the commission’s current trajectory risks turning it into a political enforcer rather than a corruption watchdog.
As of press time, Tambuwal remains in EFCC custody, and the nation waits to see whether this case will lead to a historic prosecution or fade away like other high-profile political corruption scandals in Nigeria.
