Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, disclosed that he had informed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, about his concerns regarding Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, alleging connections to banditry within the state.
Governor Lawal made this revelation on Tuesday, September 25. Lawal maintains that he has provided substantial proof to both the NSA and President Bola Tinubu, outlining Matawalle’s purported involvement in supporting banditry that has affected Zamfara and other regions in the northwest of Nigeria.
“When the governor met with the President, he explained all these things to him as well. He has also explained to the NSA that this is the situation and these are the facts that we have,” Sulaiman Idris, Lawal’s Chief Press Secretary mentioned in a statement.
Matawalle, who held the position of Zamfara’s governor from 2019 to 2023, has refuted any association with the current banditry turmoil. He justified his previous actions of initiating discussions with bandits as a strategy aimed at mitigating violence within the state.
Matawalle stated, “I have no ties with bandits. It is baseless to accuse me because I chose dialogue as an option to stop the killings.
“Other governors in the region, including those of Niger, Sokoto, and Katsina states, have also engaged in such talks.”
In a swift reply, Governor Lawal’s team dismissed Matawalle’s assertions as “lies” and affirmed that they possessed evidence to substantiate his implication.
“He [Matawalle] is lying. We mentioned names. He should come out and clear his name… We have facts, and the NSA is aware of that. If he wants a media trial, we will do that because we know we have all the evidence,” the governor’s camp stated.
, Nuhu Ribadu, about his concerns regarding Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, alleging connections to banditry within the state.){kind=link}