Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has accused Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, of involvement in banditry activities in the state.
Matawalle has denied the allegations, defending his past actions of engaging in dialogue with bandits as a means to restore peace and stability to the state.
“I have reported Matawalle to the National Security Adviser and President Bola Tinubu, and presented them with facts,” Lawal said.
Matawalle challenged Lawal and General Ali Gusau (retd.) to swear by the Holy Quran that they have no involvement in banditry ravaging the state and the entire North-West.
“Other governors, including those of Niger, Sokoto, and Katsina states, have also engaged in similar talks with bandits,” Matawalle argued.
Lawal’s Chief Press Secretary, Sulaiman Idris, countered Matawalle’s denials, stating that Matawalle’s involvement in banditry would soon be exposed.
“Matawalle is lying. We have facts and the NSA is aware of that. We will bring out the evidence soon,” Idris said.
Idris also mentioned that Lawal had previously sworn an oath, denying any involvement in banditry and praying for punishment for those responsible.
“Matawalle wants a media trial; he’s calling for it. So, we’ll do that because we know we have all the evidence,” Idris added.
The National Security Adviser’s spokesperson, Zakari Mijinyawa, did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment on whether the NSA had initiated an investigation into the allegations against Matawalle.
The police stated that they are not the lead agency in the operation against banditry in the state, and the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, directed inquiries to the minister’s office.
