The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday, August 11, 2025, detained former Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, over allegations of unauthorized cash withdrawals totaling a staggering ₦189 billion from state coffers during his tenure.
Tambuwal, who served as Sokoto governor from 2015 to 2023 and is a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, reportedly arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, at about 11:30 a.m. for interrogation. He was immediately ushered into the custody of investigators probing the financial scandal.
Sources within the anti-graft agency said the probe revolves around “suspicious withdrawals and transactions” carried out between 2022 and 2023, allegedly in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Preliminary findings reportedly indicate that huge sums were allegedly siphoned through multiple cash withdrawals and transfers from state government accounts into private hands during the tail end of Tambuwal’s administration. The transactions, EFCC officials say, lacked lawful authorization and failed to follow due process.
Though EFCC spokespersons have yet to issue an official statement, top officials familiar with the matter disclosed that Tambuwal will remain in custody pending further interrogation and that more arrests could follow as the investigation unfolds.
Tambuwal’s media aides have so far remained silent on the matter, but political associates in Sokoto are said to be making frantic efforts to secure his release.
The ₦189 billion probe marks one of the largest alleged financial scandals linked to a former governor in recent years, coming at a time when anti-corruption agencies are intensifying efforts to track state-level mismanagement of public funds.
Tambuwal, a prominent figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and recent Senate Minority Leader, is the latest in a string of high-profile political figures to face EFCC questioning in the ongoing crackdown on public sector corruption.