The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, is under fire after being linked with terrorism in the country.

Matawalle is alleged to have procured vehicles for bandit leaders, including a notorious kingpin, Bello Turji, and others while serving as Zamfara State Governor.

The current state governor, Dauda Lawal, who appeared on TVC, a national television station, on Wednesday, urged the minister to resign.

He said, “If I were him (Matawalle), I would resign and face all the allegations against me because, from all the information we are getting, my predecessor was fully involved in some of this banditry.”

According to Lawal, the former governor kept terrorists at the government house, and ransom was paid to terrorists through the government.

“In May 2023, there was this allegation of misappropriation of N70bn. We realised that the N70bn was a child’s play compared to what we have. This information is before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and I wonder how this guy was cleared by the security operatives to become a minister.

“We are still waiting to hear from the EFCC; the case has been on for a year now. This is people’s money; we need the money in Zamfara to address the challenges we are facing.”

A presidential aide contacted to speak on the matter declined comment.

“You will get the answer to your question when the President announces the new cabinet list soon,” the source said.

Previous accusations

It is not the first time Matawalle will face accusation of sponsoring banditry.

In January 2022, while serving as state governor under the All Progressives Congress, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party had called for Matawalle’s resignation over alleged banditry sponsorship.

The APC had countered the allegation, insisting it was because he defected from the PDP to the party at the time.

An Islamic cleric, Bello Asada, also accused him of sponsoring bandits.In a video seen by Saturday PUNCH, Asada, who spoke in Hausa, alleged that Matawalle procured vehicles for Turji and other bandits.

He said, “You didn’t love especially because of God. Murtala Bello said your godfather has bought vehicles for terrorists, among them is this Halilu Subububu. The defence (state) minister has bought a brand new car and given it to him (is he not the one who’s called ‘Wankin Dan Kanoma’). There is also Ada Aleru.

“I know that he has purchased about 34 vehicles and distributed them to leaders of terrorists. He (Halilu) who I was accused of purchasing a car; was the Zamfara State governor who gave him a brand new 2019 model Hilux, not a second-hand car. People like Ado Aleru were given. I was with the police; Bello Turji was given.

“Decent people like the police, military, and civil defence who are looking for Hilux were not given, only for them to use our money to buy brand new Hiluxes for terrorists.”

Asada further questioned why Turji, despite being a notorious criminal with a visible presence on social media, had not been captured.

Turji has terrorised Zamfara State by killing, kidnapping, and extorting residents for nearly nine years.

His activities gained public attention after a series of videos surfaced on social media, where he also accused Matawalle of sponsoring banditry in the state.

Matawalle’s amnesty

The minister had between 2019 and 2023 initiated amnesty for terrorists in Zamfara State while serving as governor.

But Turji, in a video in July 2024, claimed that the scheme only empowered some of his colleagues.

Premium Times reported that Turji said he killed one of the bandit leaders in his Shinkafi LGA for peace to reign, but the governor later allegedly sabotaged his efforts.

He said, “Any person living in Shinkafi, Zurmi, and Isa (Sokoto State) cannot deny this claim. There is a particular group of bandits whom the former governor pampered. I chased the group from Shinkafi, I killed their leader, Dudu, for peace to reign in Shinkafi. The group had 200 arms, but the governor later hosted them (Dudu’s boys) at the Government House.

“But the government failed to ask the group to surrender their weapons. Another group led by Bashari Maniya has over 300 guns. I seized 30 from them. Where are the remaining? And they never surrendered their weapons to the government.”

He alleged that some of the bandit leaders involved in the peace truce moved to the Sokoto metropolis after giving their arms to their boys kidnapping for ransom. He said the boys were making returns to their leaders living in Sokoto town.

He named some of them as Bashari Maniya, Kabiru, and Buhari.

Matawalle’s dealings with bandits – Aide

But an aide to the minister, Dr Suleiman Shuaib, who spoke to Saturday PUNCH, described the allegations as baseless, stating that Governor Lawal was out to witch-hunt his boss and smear his image.

According to Shuaib, Matawalle had never sponsored banditry or terrorism either as governor or minister, adding that he was committed to securing the lives and property of the people of Zamfara State and Nigerians at large.

Shuaib explained that Matawalle only engaged in dialogue with bandits during his early days as governor, in a desperate move to restore peace and security to the state.

He added that Matawalle waged war against some of the bandits when they reneged on their promises, noting that it was wrong for anyone to use his efforts against him for political gain.

He said, “I want to call on Nigerians, including Governor Dauda Lawal, to desist from witch-hunting their predecessors. This is a mere allegation and an act of witch-hunting. This sends a very bad message to the younger generation. It is uncalled for; I am advising Governor Lawal to stop witch-hunting his predecessor.

“The main objective of Governor Lawal and Matawalle is to secure and protect the lives and property of the people of Zamfara. The Governor should focus on the promises he made during his campaign instead of chasing shadows. His duty is to provide security in the state, and the major challenge we have is banditry.

“Zamfara State is on the brink of being swallowed by insecurity, and I want the governor to focus on that. He should work hand-in-hand with Matawalle to bring an end to the insecurity in Zamfara.

“When Matawalle became the governor of the state, the most important issue to address was insecurity. People advised him to call the bandit leaders for dialogue, and he accepted. That was when he met the bandits in Government House; he didn’t know them before.

“The dialogue worked for nine months before some bad actors influenced certain bandits to make outrageous demands, which Matawalle, as the governor, couldn’t meet. Those bandits took up arms again, and the Governor confronted them. He was, and is, never involved in banditry.”

Analyst react

The Managing Director of a security firm, Beacon Consulting Limited, Kabir Adamu, said the accusations against Matawelle were indications of the weaponisation of insecurity in the country.

He stated that the Federal Government and the Zanfara State Government were pursuing very different policies on security.

“The state government has indicated clearly that it is not negotiating with bandits. However, there is evidence and facts that show that at least some officials at the federal level are negotiating are in contact with the bandits, and have even exchanged funding in some instances with them”, he added.

The spokesperson for the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Ladipo Johnson, said the inclusion of Matawalle in Tinubu’s cabinet spoke volumes about the President’s respect for Nigerians and integrity.

“One wonders what the thought process of Mr President and his inner team was for putting a person like Matawalle in the cabinet to man the Ministry of Defence”, said Johnson.

He noted that there had been many questions about Matawalle, which were enough for Tinubu to ask the minister to clarify the allegations against him.

However, Johnson said he was not expecting the minister to resign or talk about the allegations against him because Tinubu did not also speak on his certificate saga.

He said, “It is indicting that the Governor of Zamfara State came out to accuse Matawalle openly. You will recall that this matter has been around for a long time. With such rumours, how would you put that person in the Ministry of Defence?

“There are many questions about him (Matawalle), especially now that the governor and Islamic cleric have come out to accuse him. It is enough for Mr President to ask him to address the allegations. That is what a proper government should do. But this government don’t care about what we think or say as a people. Matawalle should come out to address the allegations and set the record straight.” (Saturday PUNCH)