Nigeria’s Defence Minister Bello Matawalle Attempted to Offer US Bribe to Influence Report — US Lawmaker

Kimberly Daniels, a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, has alleged that Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, attempted to offer a bribe to a United States official.

Daniels made the claim in a video published Monday on her verified Facebook account, where she said the alleged offer was intended to influence the narrative surrounding a report by the United World Congress of Diplomats (UN-WCD).

“A US elected official was offered money by Nigeria’s minister of state defence, Bello Matawalle, to change the narrative,” Daniels said.

She linked the alleged action to a UN-WCD report addressing violence against Christians in Nigeria, which she said implicates Matawalle. According to Daniels, efforts to alter the report’s perception would not succeed.

“No amount of pressure will silence my stand against the killings of Christians in Nigeria,” she said.

Daniels, who also serves as chairperson of the UN-WCD, has previously called on Bola Tinubu to remove Matawalle from office. She cited incidents of violence in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna and other parts of the country.

At the time of filing this report, Matawalle has not publicly responded to the allegation.