Police, Not Matawalle Arrested Ex-Minister Bilbis Over Alleged Thuggery – Gusau

The President of Zamfara Youth League Association, Sahir Ibrahim Gusau, has said that contrary to what the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Zamfara State wants the public to believe, the State Police Command arrested a former Minister of State for Information, Ikira Aliyu Bilbis, and not Governor Muhammad Bello Matawalle.

Gusau in a statement on Friday said: “I have read the article by Sahara Reporters about the arrest of former Minister of Communication Ikira Aliyu Bilbis and for me the article is not only a reflection of “symbolic folktales” but a mischievous attempt to muscle the fact in order to attract public sympathy.

“I will say boldly clear that in the first instance, the Governor of Zamfara is neither the Police IGP, Commissioner nor the IPO empowered by law to arrest, investigate and prosecute people with criminal allegations. It will be very unfair to link him with the action of the police who are carrying out their legitimate duties.”

According to Gusau, Bilbis was arrested over alleged connection with aiding and abetting political thuggery in the State.

He went further to say that the allegation was made prominent by the suspected political thugs arrested by the Zamfara State Standing Committee on Anti-Thuggery headed by Bello Bakyasuwa.

“They have also made confessional statements linking their actions to the former Minister, so what is wrong in suing him by the Police on behalf of the state for him to defend himself?” Gusau asked.

The chairman of the State’s Anti-Thuggery Committee, Bello Bakyasuwa, had paraded the suspected thugs before the press.

“It was on record that these thugs were carrying deadly weapons and these weapons were displayed before the whole world including a campaign truck branded for one of the PDP legislative candidates during the press conference by Bello Bakyasuwa.

“In order to cover their shaddy deal, they even attempted to induce Bello Bakyasuwa, the Chairman of the Anti-Thuggery Committee with money but he declined.

“And based on the investigation conducted by the committee on Anti-Thuggery, they handed over their findings to the police and the police became convinced that Ikira Bilbis has a case to answer in court and police charged him to Court, then what is the crime of Governor Bello Matawalle here?

“So for me PDP and indeed Sahara Reporters are only trying to be mischievous for linking Matawalle with what he has no hand in. And coming back to the legality of the campaign rally conducted by the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Dauda Lawal Dare, which resulted to all this political brouhaha, I think the current judgement of the Federal High Court Gusau which is still in force has barred him from parading himself as the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in Zamfara State,” he stated.