CCAC Disowns Matazu, Alleges Bribery Plot to Protect Ex-NNPC Boss Mele Kyari From Probe
The Involved Residents Towards Corruption (CCAC) has formally disowned its convener, Comrade Kabir Matazu, following his sudden withdrawal of allegations and requires the investigation of the previous Group Chief Government Officer of the Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Firm Restricted (NNPCL), Mele Kyari.
In a strongly worded assertion launched on Thursday and signed by the Secretary Common of the coalition, Comrade Moses Okino, the group accused Matazu of performing beneath exterior affect and betraying the core values of the motion.
CCAC alleged that highly effective pursuits with ties to Kyari’s tenure have been orchestrating a bribery marketing campaign to whitewash his file.
“We, the management of Involved Residents Towards Corruption, categorically state that Kabir Matazu acted alone. His press convention withdrawing our petition was not solely unauthorized however disgraceful. It was an act of betrayal,” Okino declared.
“Our coalition was not consulted. There was no assembly, no consensus. We’ve got each purpose to imagine that Matazu was compromised, and his actions had been influenced by financial inducements meant to derail our anti-corruption marketing campaign.
“We’ve got obtained reviews that James Ume has been transferring from workplace to workplace, calling activists, lobbying with money and guarantees — all to make sure Mele Kyari’s tenure shouldn’t be subjected to public investigation.
“What occurred with Matazu shouldn’t be an remoted incident. It’s a part of a broader plan to intimidate and financially co-opt each voice demanding transparency. However we aren’t all on the market.”
Matazu had on Thursday, throughout a press convention in Abuja, introduced that the April 23 protest led by the coalition was “hasty” and “misguided,” claiming that the group had misunderstood the authorized construction of NNPCL as a restricted legal responsibility firm. He additional praised Kyari’s management and retracted all earlier allegations.
However Okino described Matazu’s statements as “a whole reversal of months of analysis, planning, and verified proof,” including that the group’s authentic petition was backed by whistleblower intelligence and unbiased investigations.
“We didn’t arrive at our conclusions calmly. Our allegations in opposition to Mele Kyari had been primarily based on strong data relating to suspicious transactions, refinery rehabilitation funds, crude swap offers, and procurement irregularities beneath his watch,” Okino stated.
“For Matazu to get up one morning and declare it was all a misunderstanding insults our collective intelligence and undermines the credibility of civil society work in Nigeria.”
He stated the coalition had instantly arrange a disciplinary committee to research Matazu’s conduct, with the potential for expelling him from the group and making its findings public.
“Nobody is above accountability, not even our convener. Matazu has embarrassed this coalition and can face the implications of his reckless and suspicious behaviour,” Okino added.
CCAC reaffirmed its authentic demand for the {Economic} and {Financial} Crimes Fee (EFCC) and the workplace of the Lawyer Common to probe Kyari’s tenure.
It insisted that public assets have to be accounted for, particularly in a sector as strategic as petroleum.
“If certainly Kyari has nothing to cover, he ought to welcome an open probe. The try to gag public inquiry solely raises additional questions concerning the scale of economic misconduct beneath his management,” the group stated.
“We stay dedicated to the reality. Nigerians deserve solutions, not press conferences staged by people who’ve been purchased to rewrite historical past.
“We owe this nation greater than silence. Matazu’s actions won’t derail us. If something, they’ve strengthened our resolve. This struggle is now not nearly Kyari; it’s about defending the soul of anti-corruption advocacy in Nigeria.
“We urge Nigerians to ignore Matazu’s retraction. It was not made in good religion. It was the product of desperation by individuals who worry the reality.”
The coalition concluded by calling on different civil society {groups}, labour unions, and watchdogs to be vigilant in opposition to infiltration and bribery, warning that “the enemies of transparency will cease at nothing to guard their very own”.
