Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, on Tuesday, vehemently denied allegations of aiding banditry, challenging his accusers to provide evidence.

In an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Matawalle defended his decision to engage in dialogue with bandits, a practice he claims was supported by several governors.

“They should bring any proof of that,” Matawalle said, emphasizing that his dialogue approach was not unique to him. “Because I dialogue, it was not only I. Remember, all the governors dialogued – the governor of Niger state, the governor of Sokoto did the same. Why only me? Because it is Zamfara.”

Matawalle described Zamfara as “a very complex state with terrible human beings with devilish ideas.” He also alleged that his accusers are involved in the activities they have accused him of.

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“Let me remind you, I was the only governor that swore to the Holy Quran that I have no hand or connection with banditry,” Matawalle stated. “I challenged all the politicians, including General Ali Gusau and Dauda Lawal, to do the same. None of them could take the oath, and if they don’t take the oath, that means they are part of it.”

Allegations and Controversy

Contrary to Matawalle’s claims, Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal has accused his predecessor of being “fully involved” in banditry during his tenure as governor. Lawal cited examples of bandits being kept at Government House and a permanent secretary paying ransom through the Government House after his family was abducted.

Context and Background

Zamfara has been plagued by insecurity, with hundreds killed and thousands abducted. The state leads in kidnap incidents, victims, and civilian deaths between July 2023 and June 2024, according to SBM Intelligence ¹.

Matawalle governed Zamfara from May 2019 to May 2023 before handing over to Lawal after losing his reelection bid. The defence minister’s dialogue approach has been questioned, but he maintains that it has led to the recovery of abducted persons and ammunition in Zamfara.

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