Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the state government of using public resources to mobilise individuals and groups against the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle.
Speaking via a statement issued on Sunday and signed by the state APC Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris Gusau, the party asserted that the public denials by bandit leaders of any association with the Minister point to a political plot against the former governor.
The party alleged that, despite such denials, the Zamfara State Government, under Governor Dauda Lawal, has continued campaigns aimed at linking Matawalle to banditry and insecurity in the North, allegedly to pressure President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remove him from office.
The party cited video recordings in which bandit leader Bello Turji denied ever working for or being sponsored by Matawalle, either during his tenure as governor or as minister.
According to the party, some individuals were stationed across Northern Nigeria and parts of the South to propagate such narratives, while it claimed that one of those involved had admitted to receiving money from the state government.
The APC also raised questions over the release of Musa Kamarawa, a suspected bandit arrested during Matawalle’s tenure as governor over alleged gun-running and banditry-related offences.
It called on security agencies, the National Judicial Council (NJC) the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and civil society organisations to investigate how Kamarawa was released while his case was allegedly still pending.
The party rejected claims linking Matawalle to criminal elements, noting that appointments into sensitive national offices require security clearance by relevant agencies.