Former Sokoto State governor and serving senator, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has been released from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after spending about 28 hours in detention — a move that has sparked sharp political backlash.
Tambuwal, who honoured an EFCC invitation at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, August 11, was grilled over alleged fraudulent cash withdrawals totalling ₦189 billion during his tenure as Sokoto governor between 2015 and 2023. EFCC sources said the probe focuses on potential violations of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Upon arrival at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, the former House of Representatives Speaker — and a close ally of ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar — was interrogated before being placed in custody. The conditions of his bail remain undisclosed as at press time.
The detention triggered swift condemnation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of weaponising the EFCC to muzzle the opposition.
“This is nothing short of a political witch-hunt aimed at silencing key opposition figures and steering Nigeria towards a one-party state,” the parties said in a joint statement, vowing to resist what they called the “politicisation of anti-corruption agencies.”
Tambuwal’s arrest adds to growing tensions between the ruling APC and opposition parties, with critics warning that the use of security and anti-graft agencies against political rivals undermines Nigeria’s democracy.
