Former Sokoto State governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged fraudulent cash withdrawals totalling N189 billion.
The withdrawals are said to contravene the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022.
This is coming more than two years after he left office.
Tambuwal reportedly arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, where he is being interrogated by investigators.
A senior EFCC source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the former governor is facing questions over suspicious transactions during his tenure, involving alleged unauthorised withdrawals of public funds.
“The withdrawals are in clear violation of the Money Laundering Act,” the source said, adding that the investigation has been ongoing for months.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, declined to comment until the interrogation is concluded.
Tambuwal, a senior figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), served as governor from 2015 to 2023 and was previously Speaker of the House of Representatives.
He is presently one of the major political actors in the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
An opposition politician who craved anonymity told TheNiche on Thursday evening that the arrest is political.
“The EFCC has become a political instrument in the hands of the ruling APC. This is just another political vendetta. It will get worse as we move closer to the 2027 elections,” he said.
“It is nothing other than political intimidation. But they cannot cow the opposition by arresting our leaders.”
Also, earlier today, the ADC accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of weaponising the EFCC to intimidate opposition politicians, warning that such actions are eroding public trust in the anti-graft agency and weakening Nigeria’s fight against corruption.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, on Monday, the ADC alleged that the EFCC’s recent moves, including reopening old cases and summoning opposition members, are politically motivated.
“The EFCC was created to be a fearless defender of the Nigerian people’s trust, applying the law evenly to all, friend or foe, ruling party or opposition. Today, that vision appears to have been compromised.
“The Commission now operates like a department of the APC, deployed to fight government critics and opposition figures, thereby achieving what the government cannot achieve through public debate,” Abdullahi said.
The party accused the EFCC of selective prosecution, citing instances where investigations into APC allies were allegedly dropped while opposition figures continued to face revived allegations.
“Since a certain former governor defected to the APC with his state’s entire political machinery, the EFCC’s investigations into his administration have vanished from public view. Not a question has been asked. Not a document leaked. Not a single update.
“In today’s Nigeria, one’s guilt or innocence appears to depend on party membership, not evidence,” Abdullahi added.
According to the ADC, such partisanship damages both the credibility of the EFCC and the broader anti-corruption campaign.
It warned that the perception of the EFCC as a political enforcer undermines public confidence and breeds cynicism.
