The Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has alleged that attempts to link the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, with banditry are part of a political plot against the former governor.
The party said repeated public denials by bandit leaders of any association with Matawalle showed that the allegations were being deliberately manufactured for political reasons.
In a statement issued and signed by the state APC Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris Gusau, the party accused the Zamfara State Government under Governor Dauda Lawal of sustaining campaigns aimed at portraying Matawalle as connected to insecurity in the North.
The APC cited video recordings in which bandit leader Bello Turji reportedly denied ever working for or being sponsored by Matawalle, either during his tenure as governor or in his current role as minister.
It further alleged that the state government was deploying public funds to mobilise individuals and groups, including religious figures, political agents and protesters, across different parts of the country to promote claims linking Matawalle to banditry.
According to the party, some of those involved were stationed across Northern Nigeria and parts of the South to spread the narrative, adding that one individual had allegedly admitted to receiving money from the state government.
The APC also questioned the release of Musa Kamarawa, a suspected bandit arrested during Matawalle’s tenure as governor over alleged gun-running and banditry-related offences, and called on security agencies, the National Judicial Council, the Nigerian Bar Association and civil society groups to investigate the circumstances surrounding his release.
Rejecting claims linking Matawalle to criminal elements, the party noted that appointments into sensitive national offices require security clearance, insisting that the latest allegations were politically motivated and linked to internal tensions within the Peoples Democratic Party in Zamfara ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
It urged the public to disregard what it described as unfounded allegations against the minister, while recalling that peace initiatives implemented during Matawalle’s tenure as governor led to arms surrender, reopening of markets and improved security in parts of the state.