Matawalle replies Governor Lawal on allegation of abetting banditry

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, on Tuesday, denied an allegation by his successor as Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, that he was betting banditry in the state.

Mr Matawalle said he swore with the Holy Qur’an when he was governor between 2019 and 2023 to deny the allegation, but Mr Lawal and other politicians in the state refused to swear to back their claims.

Mr Matawalle appeared on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily Programme to debunk the governor’s claim that he is linked to banditry in the state.

In a TV programme, the governor accused the minister of sponsoring bandits and asked him to resign and address the allegations, including money laundering, during his tenure as governor.

“If I were him (Matawalle), I would resign and face all the allegations against me.

Mr Matawalle said the allegations were unfounded and challenged the governor to prove them.

He acknowledged that he and some of his colleagues had dialogued with the bandits to bring peace to their respective states.

“It was not only me that dialogued with bandits. Remember, all the governors dialogued; the then governors of Niger State, Habu Sani Bello, and the governors of Sokoto and Katsina states did the same. Why only me? Because it is Zamfara?

“Zamfara is a very complex state with terrible human beings with devilish ideas. Our people are just different,” Mr Matawalle said.

He cited an incident of a resident arrested for cutting the throat and gauging out the eye of a person and how he ensured the criminal was brought to justice.

Also, he said some people in the state don’t like him because he was fearless and dealt with anyone found wanting. “Many politicians found doing hideous acts did not like me because I went after them,” he said.

“Let me remind you. When I was governor, I was the only governor who swore with the Holy Quran that I had no hand or connection with banditry and that I was not happy with what was happening. That if I was happy, if I was part of it, if I knew those doing it, or if I was collaborating with them, God should not give me one second of grace.

“I challenged all the politicians, including General Ali Gusau and Dauda Lawal, to do the same. None of them could take the oath, but I took it because I know I have a clean heart”.

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The former governor said he made it a policy in the state for government appointees to take an oath with the Holy Qur’an that they had no connection with banditry, before holding a political office.

Mr Matawalle challenged the governor and other politicians in the state to take the oath as he did to clean their names.