Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has joined the calls for the resignation of the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, over his alleged link to terrorism in the country.
Matawalle is alleged to have procured vehicles for bandit leaders, including a notorious kingpin, Bello Turji, and others while serving as Zamfara State Governor.
An Islamic cleric, Bello Asada, had accused Matawalle of sponsoring bandits.
In a video seen by Saturday PUNCH, Asada, who spoke in Hausa, alleged that Matawalle procured vehicles for Turji and other bandits.
He said, “You didn’t love especially because of God. Murtala Bello said your godfather has bought vehicles for terrorists, among them is this Halilu Subububu. The defence (state) minister has bought a brand new car and given it to him (is he not the one who’s called ‘Wankin Dan Kanoma’). There is also Ada Aleru.
“I know that he has purchased about 34 vehicles and distributed them to leaders of terrorists. He (Halilu), who I was accused of purchasing a car, was the Zamfara State governor who gave him a brand new 2019 model Hilux, not a second-hand car. People like Ado Aleru were given. I was with the police; Bello Turji was given.
“Decent people like the police, military, and civil defence who are looking for Hilux were not given, only for them to use our money to buy brand new Hiluxes for terrorists.”
Asada further questioned why Turji, despite being a notorious criminal with a visible presence on social media, had not been captured.
Turji has terrorised Zamfara State by killing, kidnapping, and extorting residents for nearly nine years.
Osun Defender reported that Turji had, in a series of online videos, alleged Matawalle of sponsoring terrorism in the Northern states.
But the Minister had denied having a relationship with the bandits.
Meanwhile, Governor Lawal, who appeared on TVC, a national television station, on Wednesday, urged the minister to resign and face all the allegations against him.
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He said, “If I were him (Matawalle), I would resign and face all the allegations against me because, from all the information we are getting, my predecessor was fully involved in some of this banditry.”
According to Lawal, the former governor kept terrorists at the government house, and ransom was paid to terrorists through the government.
“In May 2023, there was this allegation of misappropriation of N70bn. We realised that the N70bn was a child’s play compared to what we have. This information is before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and I wonder how this guy was cleared by the security operatives to become a minister.
“We are still waiting to hear from the EFCC; the case has been on for a year now. This is people’s money; we need the money in Zamfara to address the challenges we are facing.”
But an aide to the minister, Dr Suleiman Shuaib, who spoke to Saturday PUNCH, described the allegations as baseless, stating that Governor Lawal was out to witch-hunt his boss and smear his image.
According to Shuaib, Matawalle had never sponsored banditry or terrorism either as governor or minister, adding that he was committed to securing the lives and property of the people of Zamfara State and Nigerians at large.
Shuaib explained that Matawalle only engaged in dialogue with bandits during his early days as governor, in a desperate move to restore peace and security to the state.
He added that Matawalle waged war against some of the bandits when they reneged on their promises, noting that it was wrong for anyone to use his efforts against him for political gain.
He said, “I want to call on Nigerians, including Governor Dauda Lawal, to desist from witch-hunting their predecessors. This is a mere allegation and an act of witch-hunting. This sends a very bad message to the younger generation. It is uncalled for; I am advising Governor Lawal to stop witch-hunting his predecessor.
“The main objective of Governor Lawal and Matawalle is to secure and protect the lives and property of the people of Zamfara. The Governor should focus on the promises he made during his campaign instead of chasing shadows. His duty is to provide security in the state, and the major challenge we have is banditry.
“Zamfara State is on the brink of being swallowed by insecurity, and I want the governor to focus on that. He should work hand-in-hand with Matawalle to bring an end to the insecurity in Zamfara.
“When Matawalle became the governor of the state, the most important issue to address was insecurity. People advised him to call the bandit leaders for dialogue, and he accepted. That was when he met the bandits in Government House; he didn’t know them before.
“The dialogue worked for nine months before some bad actors influenced certain bandits to make outrageous demands, which Matawalle, as the governor, couldn’t meet. Those bandits took up arms again, and the Governor confronted them. He was, and is, never involved in banditry.”
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