I Have Reported Minister Matawalle’s Connection to Banditry with Evidence to Mr President, NSA – Gov Lawal

In a heated development, Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has officially reported the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, and President Bola Tinubu over allegations of involvement with banditry in Zamfara State.

Governor Lawal disclosed that he has presented evidence to both the NSA and the President, accusing Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara, of links to the bandit crisis that has plagued the state. This accusation follows Matawalle’s recent public denial of any involvement with bandits.

During an interview on Channels Television, Matawalle refuted claims that he is connected to the banditry in Zamfara. He challenged Governor Lawal and retired General Ali Gusau to swear by the Holy Quran that they had no involvement in the violence terrorizing the state and the North-West. Matawalle defended his past actions of engaging in dialogue with bandits as part of efforts to mitigate the bloodshed, noting that other governors from Niger, Sokoto, and Katsina had pursued similar strategies.

Matawalle firmly maintained that he is not a sponsor of bandits and called for both Governor Lawal and General Gusau to publicly declare their innocence by swearing on the Quran.

In response, Lawal’s Chief Press Secretary, Sulaiman Idris, dismissed Matawalle’s statements, accusing him of deceit. Idris stated that the governor had already sworn by the Quran and prayed for divine punishment on anyone responsible for banditry in Zamfara. He further assured the public that evidence implicating Matawalle would soon be made available to the media.

“He’s lying. We have mentioned names and have facts. The NSA is already aware of this. When the governor met with the President, he explained the situation and presented the facts,” Idris said. He added that Lawal is prepared to engage in a media trial, asserting that the administration has solid evidence against the Defence Minister.

Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the NSA, Zakari Mijinyawa, for a comment on whether investigations into the allegations have been launched were unsuccessful. The Force’s spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, also noted that the police are not the lead agency in the fight against banditry in Zamfara, while the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, declined to comment, referring inquiries to the Minister’s office.