THE Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, has okayed a suit seeking to compel the Federal Government (FG) to investigate the alleged link between the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, and bandits in Zamfara State.
The suit, initiated by a Zamfara state-based activist, Abubakar Dahiru, and marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1434/2024, lists President Bola Tinubu, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the Minister of Justice, and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) as defendants.
In particular, the plaintiff requests that the court rule that in order to secure and/or restore public safety in the state, the first defendant (Tinubu) must order the third defendant (IGP) to look into the activities of bandits and kidnappers in Zamfara State.
This request was made in light of the allegations against Matawalle regarding banditry and kidnapping in the state.
He further pleaded for “an order of court mandating the 1st defendant herein to direct the 3rd defendant herein to investigate the activities of bandits and kidnappers in Zamfara State, and in particular the allegations surrounding the Minister of State, Defense Hon. Bello Matawalle, in relation to banditry and kidnapping in Zamfara State to secure and/or restore public safety in Zamfara State.”
The plaintiff said there had been high wave of armed banditry and kidnapping in Zamfara State in a 22-paragraph statement of claim that he filed with the court.
He further claimed that the activities of hoodlums, which he claimed began like a mustard seed in the state, grew to an alarming and unprecedented proportion between 2019 and 2023 while Matawalle was the state’s governor.
The plaintiff further alleged that thousands of people in Zamfara were orphans, widows, widowers, homeless, and hungry because of the actions of criminals who extort money from their victims, maim, kill, and torture them physically and psychologically.
He added that he had listened to the state Governor Dauda Lawal openly accuse Matawalle of having ties with bandits and kidnappers in an interview aired on TVC Television on September 18, 2024.
He said he had read professor Abdussamad Umar Jibia’s essay, which detailed several accusations of Matawalle’s complicity in banditry and kidnappings in the state.
The plaintiff noted before the court, among other, that while a wave of banditry and kidnapping continued to plague the state, the government had not made any attempt to look prone Matawalle to determine whether these accusations were true or untrue.
Meanwhile, no date has been set for the hearing of the matter.
Recently, speaking on TVC, Zamfara state governor Lawal called for Matawalle’s resignation over accusations of sponsoring banditry and engaging in money laundering during his term as governor.
He claimed that the Government House in Gusau, the state capital, was allegedly involved in the ransom payment for the children of a permanent secretary who was abducted.
He explained further that Matawalle’s resignation would be the most honourable thing to do given the weighty allegations against him.
“If I were he (Matawalle), I would resign and face all the allegations against me.
“For me, honestly, I will step aside and face this allegation until I clear my name before I come back and continue my job,” the governor had said.
Responding to his successor’s claim, Matawalle pointed out that he was not the only governor who had dialogue with bandits.
The minister emphasised that he was the only governor who had taken an oath on the Quran to affirm his innocence regarding banditry.
The ICIR reported in August 2023, Tinubu appointed Matawalle as minister of state for defence.
Source: icirnigeria.org
