BREAKING: Tinubu Set To Sack Matawalle
A constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Hamza N. Dantani Esq., has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, or for the minister to step aside, citing alleged grave national security concerns arising from persistent allegations of links to bandits.
In a statement titled “Bello Matawalle Should Step Down Or Be Suspended In The Interest Of National Security And For Fair And Proper Investigation,” Dantani said Northern Nigeria “continues to bleed from the scourge of banditry and terrorism,” noting that communities have been destroyed, livelihoods lost, and lives cut short.
“As a lawyer and human rights activist from the Northern part of the country, I have watched with deep concern this persistent insecurity that continues to devastate our region,” he said.
Dantani argued that against this backdrop, “the controversy surrounding the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, cannot be ignored, dismissed, or swept under the carpet,” stressing that “the allegations deserve urgent and sober national attention.”
According to him, Matawalle has, since his tenure as Governor of Zamfara State, been “persistently accused of enabling or fraternising with bandits,” allegations he said were “never conclusively investigated” before Matawalle’s appointment as defence minister.
“That decision raised legitimate concerns, given the sensitivity of the office and the gravity of the accusations,” Dantani said, adding that the allegations have “not abated” but have instead “intensified, even as banditry and terrorism continue to ravage Zamfara State and large parts of Northern Nigeria.”
The activist referenced repeated allegations by Sokoto-based cleric, Sheikh Murtala Asada, who he said had consistently accused Matawalle of maintaining “close ties with bandits” while serving as governor.
According to Dantani, the cleric alleged that Matawalle “colluded with, appeased, and materially supported armed groups responsible for mass killings, kidnappings, and displacement.”
He further cited claims attributed to the cleric that Matawalle “allegedly distributed vehicles to bandits using public funds” and “purchased a house for Bello Turji, a notorious bandit leader designated as a terrorist, in Pakai, Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.”
“If true, this would amount to financing terrorism,” Dantani said.
The statement also referenced allegations that Matawalle facilitated the release of a known bandit, Haru Dole, by sending an aide to stand as surety at a police office in Abuja, and that he “officially distributed 2,000 bags of chaffs to bandits across fourteen local government areas in Zamfara State.”
Dantani criticised Matawalle’s response to the allegations, saying that instead of addressing them, the minister “chose to file a defamation suit against Sheikh Murtala Asada,” a move he described as “widely perceived as an attempt to silence” the cleric rather than transparently clear his name.
The activist said the controversy deepened following claims by a former aide of Matawalle, Musa Kamarawa, who identified himself as a Senior Special Assistant during Matawalle’s governorship.
According to Dantani, Kamarawa alleged that Matawalle “has police officers working for him who kill whomever he orders and spare whomever he chooses.”
He said the former aide also alleged collusion with security operatives to eliminate perceived enemies, protect allies, and facilitate dealings with bandit leaders, adding that Kamarawa corroborated claims that the Zamfara State government under Matawalle bought vehicles for Bello Turji and other bandits as part of an “engagement strategy.”
Dantani noted that Kamarawa claimed he personally facilitated the procurement of a Hilux vehicle for a bandit leader and challenged Matawalle “to deny the allegations under oath publicly.”
“These are not allegations coming from political opponents alone,” Dantani said, describing them as coming from “someone who claims to have had access to the inner workings of government.”
He also expressed concern that Bello Turji, described as a “designated terrorist,” had reportedly issued a public statement defending Matawalle.
“This raises a fundamental question that Nigerians deserve an answer to: Why would a government official, let alone a defence minister, have any form of relationship with a terrorist?” he asked.
Dantani said insecurity in Northern Nigeria was “not merely a security issue; it is a human rights catastrophe,” citing loss of lives, mass displacement, collapsed local economies, food insecurity, and erosion of trust in state institutions.
While stressing that the statement did not assert Matawalle’s guilt, Dantani said the allegations were “grave, numerous, persistent, and increasingly corroborated by insiders.”
“They are too serious to be ignored and too dangerous to be left uninvestigated,” he said.
He called on President Tinubu to “immediately suspend Bello Matawalle,” or for the minister to “do the honourable thing and step aside,” pending an independent investigation.
“Such a suspension would not amount to a conviction,” he said, adding that it would allow Matawalle to clear his name and reassure Nigerians that the government was committed to tackling insecurity.
Dantani warned that retaining a defence minister under such allegations undermines the fight against terrorism, stating, “You cannot convincingly wage a war against terrorism while retaining a defence minister under serious allegations of collusion with terrorists.”
He concluded by saying the call was “not a political attack” but “a national security and human rights issue,” adding that if the government failed to act, “a direct criminal complaint will be filed, inviting the court to compel a proper investigation into these allegations.”
