‘Bandit Leaders Have Repeatedly Denied Link with Matawalle’

Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged that repeated public denials by bandit leaders of any association with the minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Mohammed Matawalle, had exposed what it described as a coordinated political plot against the former governor.

The party claimed that despite these denials, the Zamfara State government under Governor Dauda Lawal had continued to sponsor campaigns aimed at linking Matawalle to banditry and insecurity in the North, allegedly to pressure President Bola Ahmed Tinubu into removing him from office.

In a press statement issued yesterday and signed by the APC publicity secretary in the state, Yusuf Idris Gusau, the party said video recordings in which bandit leader Bello Turji openly denied ever working for or being sponsored by Matawalle, either during his tenure as governor or in his current role as minister, have been deliberately ignored by those pushing the allegations.

The APC alleged that Governor Lawal is deploying public resources to mobilise individuals and groups, including religious figures, political agents and hired protesters, across different parts of the country to malign the minister.

According to the party, some of those recruited were stationed across Northern Nigeria and parts of the South to propagate narratives remotely or physically linking Matawalle to insecurity in the region. It further claimed that one of the alleged recruits recently confessed to receiving a substantial sum of money from the state government for the exercise.

Raising further concerns, the APC questioned the circumstances surrounding the release of Musa Kamarawa, a suspected bandit arrested during Matawalle’s tenure as governor for alleged gun-running and banditry-related offences.

The party called on security agencies, the National Judicial Council (NJC), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and civil society organisations to investigate how Kamarawa regained freedom while his case was allegedly still pending.

The party dismissed claims linking Matawalle to criminal elements, noting that appointment into sensitive national offices requires thorough security screening by relevant agencies, a process it said Matawalle had successfully passed at various stages of his political career.

It also recalled what it described as earlier failed attempts to discredit the minister, including the alleged sponsorship of individuals from outside Zamfara State to stage protests at the National Assembly and the Department of State Services (DSS), demanding his removal.

According to the APC, the renewed attacks are driven by political anxiety within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Zamfara ahead of the 2027 governorship election, citing reported defections of key PDP figures dissatisfied with the state government’s handling of security and governance.

Defending Matawalle’s record as governor, the APC claimed that his peace accord initiative with bandit groups led to disarmament, surrender of arms, reopening of weekly markets and improved security on major roads.

The party listed several instances between July and October 2019 when kidnap victims, including foreign nationals and traditional rulers, were released under the initiative, adding that Governor Lawal’s brother, Yusuf Lawal, was among those freed.

The APC further noted that Bello Turji had on at least two occasions publicly denied any relationship with Matawalle, but said such statements were consistently ignored by what it described as political detractors.

Commending Matawalle’s performance as Minister of State for Defence, the party cited the recent rescue of 25 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, noting that the minister coordinated their safe release following a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The party urged Nigerians to disregard what it termed fabricated allegations, insisting that Matawalle continues to enjoy the confidence of the President and remains focused on his national security responsibilities.