Banditry: No court case against Matawalle, group claims

A group known as the ‘Concerned Citizens of Zamfara State’ has debunked reports alleging that Dr. Bello Mohammed Matawalle, the Minister of State for Defence, is facing a court case over purported involvement in banditry.

Recall that some media reports indicated that a Federal High Court in Abuja had approved a case filed by human rights activist Abubakar Dahiru to probe Matawalle’s alleged involvement in the operations of bandits during his tenure as governor.

However, in a statement signed yesterday by the Chairman of the group, Yusuf Sani, and the Secretary, Dahiru Nasiru, the report was described as fake.

The group noted that after visiting several Federal High Courts in the nation’s capital, no evidence of such a suit was found.

They claimed that even if such a case exists, the Minister is not afraid to defend himself in a court of law.

They accused the Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, of political witch-hunt and trying to discredit his immediate predecessor.

While dismissing the allegations of sponsoring banditry, the group challenged the accusers to back up their allegations with proof.

“It’s worth noting that Matawalle, the former Governor of Zamfara State, had previously taken steps to address the banditry issue, including establishing military operations and spending billions of naira on security.

“He had even gone a step further by swearing with the Holy Quran, as he pointed out in a recent media interview, that he never sponsored banditry and that this is nothing but a wicked political witch-hunt being sponsored by his successor.

“Recall that Governor Dauda Lawal had accused his predecessor of ‘sponsoring banditry’ and ‘accommodating the terrorists at the government house.’

“These are part of the gimmicks of Governor Lawal Dauda, who has been a continuous guest to media houses to tarnish the image of the Honourable Minister of State for Defence and also to block his reappointment as a Minister since the news of cabinet reshuffle became public.

“We are reliably informed that Governor Dauda is the one sponsoring the forum shopping for a court order, which has stringent processes to be followed before it is granted. The courts cannot be deceived or induced by Governor Dauda or his proxies. This name-dropping of the court is absurd, preposterous, and naive for a person of his status trying to run down his own brother who is holding a sensitive post in the government.

“The public should be wary of deceitful information emanating from the Governor of Zamfara or his proxies and is advised to disregard such publications,” the statement read.