Banditry Allegation: No Court okayed suit to probe Matawalle – Shinkafi

Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Zamfara State, Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has reacted to the report that the court had okayed a suit to compel the federal government to probe ex-Governor, Bello Matawalle.

A report emerged during the weekend saying that the Federal High Court in Abuja had approved a lawsuit seeking to compel FG to investigate allegations linking Matawalle to banditry in Zamfara State.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1434/2024, which listed President Bola Tinubu, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Inspector General of Police, IGP, as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd defendants, respectively, was said to have been brought before the court by a human rights activist Abubakar Dahiru.

Shinkafi, in a statement on Sunday, said that even though a case was filed at the said Federal High Court, it has not been assigned to any judge, not mentioned, heard, and determined by the court.

For this reason, Shinkafi said it was wrong to say that the “Court okayed” the suit.

“It was Professor Kabir Danladi who said that a case filed is not a case heard, and a case heard is not a case determined until the pronouncement of the court. The presumption of innocence is applicable to all defendants,” Shinkafi, who is a former aide to Matawalle said.

“Section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, provides that every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed to be innocent until proven guilty.

“In the determination of his civil rights and obligations including any question or determination by or against any government or authority a person shall be entitled to a fair hearing within a reasonable time by a court or other tribunal established by law and constituted in such a manner as to secure its independence and impartiality.

Shinkafi said the story was incomplete since it failed to publish the court proceedings and enrolled a court order where this suit was “okayed,” the name of the judge, court number, and defendants’ counsel.

He wants the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Guild of Editors, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and media ombudsman, National Media Complaint Commission to thoroughly investigate the story.

“Already, the Defence Headquarters and other security agencies are investigating the sponsors of banditry in the North West. We have no doubt that the Honourable Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle will be exonerated from these obvious frivolous, spurious, unfounded and wide allegations by failed politicians who are intimidated by his rising profile as an outstanding minister of the Federal Republic and loyalist of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“It is evident that the allegations and suit were sponsored by his political opponents in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), hoping he would be dropped in the proposed cabinet reshuffled by Mr President on Independence Day. No doubt President Tinubu is aware of their political intrigues and will not sacrifice his outstanding minister for his opponents’ inordinate political ambition that stagnated the nation from 1999 to 2015 PDP was in power.

“It is time to stop media trials and propaganda against highly esteemed public office holders like Matawalle.

“We urge the Honourable Minister to remain focused in the quest for a strong, virile, united, progressive, equitable, and just democratic nation. “