An aide to the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, Alhaji Suleiman Shinkafi, has dismissed allegations by the Zamfara State Government that the minister was using the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to harass opposition figures in the state, describing the claim as baseless and politically motivated.
Shinkafi insisted that neither Matawalle nor any federal security agency was targeting members of the opposition in Zamfara.
“There is no opposition in Zamfara State. The PDP is the ruling party, while the APC is the opposition,” he told The PUNCH on Thursday.
“I don’t think Matawalle is using the NSA or any other office to harass PDP members. Rather, it is the PDP members who are harassing the opposition.”
Shinkafi further alleged that members of the All Progressives Congress in the state had faced intimidation and persecution since the 2023 governorship election, which he claimed was flawed.
According to him, several APC members were currently in custody over politically related matters.
“When they hijacked and snatched our votes in 2023 and forced themselves into government, I left Gusau. From that time till today, I have not freely stayed in Gusau,” he said.
“As I am talking to you now, about 16 APC members are in custody over politically related cases.”
The Zamfara State Government had earlier accused Matawalle of orchestrating the alleged harassment of opposition figures through the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Naijaonpoint reports that the allegation followed the reported abduction of a Technical Assistant to Governor Dauda Lawal, Saleem Abubakar, in Abuja.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, the state government claimed that Abubakar was picked up by operatives believed to be from a special forces unit linked to the NSA’s office, allegedly without an arrest warrant or adherence to due process.
“The most unfortunate and worrying part of the abduction of Saleem Abubakar is that it was syndicated through the office of the NSA by the Minister of State for Defence,” the statement alleged.
The state government described the alleged abduction as shocking and distressing, claiming that Abubakar was moved between undisclosed locations in an attempt to conceal his whereabouts.
It warned that the incident posed a serious threat to the neutrality of Nigeria’s security institutions.
“This is a perilous precedent that all Nigerians must strongly condemn,” Idris said.
The government also called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene and rein in the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The Zamfara State Government maintained that if Abubakar had committed any offence, he should be charged to court in line with due process and the rule of law.
However, Matawalle’s camp has continued to deny any involvement in the alleged arrest or harassment, insisting that the claims were part of a political attempt to smear the minister and federal security institutions.