Zamfara State residents who are worried have disregarded reports that state that Dr. Bello Mohammed Matawalle, the state minister for defence, has been brought before a courtroom on charges of banditry as untrue and deceptive.

Recall that earlier this year, there were media reports claiming that an Abuja Federal High Court had granted permission for human rights activist Abubakar Dahiru’s lawsuit to investigate Matawalle’s purported involvement in bandit operations while he was governor.

The group’s secretary, Dahiru Nasiru, and chairman, Yusuf Sani, signed a statement yesterday referring to the report as fraudulent.

After touring multiple Federal High Courts in the nation’s capital, the group said that they were unable to locate any proof of a lawsuit of this kind.

The Minister, they pointed out, is not scared to defend himself in court, even if there is a case of that kind. He accused Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal of engaging in a political witch hunt and attempting to undermine his immediate predecessor.

The organisation called on the accusers to provide evidence to support their claims, even as they rejected the accusations of encouraging banditry.

Notably, former Zamfara State Governor Matawalle had previously taken action to combat the issue of banditry, launching military operations and allocating billions of naira for security.

As he made clear in a recent media appearance, he had gone so far as to swear by the Holy Quran, saying that he had never supported banditry and that his successor was only funding a malicious political witch-hunt.

Remember that his predecessor was accused by Governor Dauda Lawal of “sponsoring banditry” and “accommodating the terrorist at the government house.”

Part of Governor Lawal Dauda’s ploys, since the news of the cabinet reshuffle became public, are these. Dauda has been a frequent guest at media outlets, attempting to damage the reputation of the Minister of State for Defence and prevent his reappointment.

“According to trustworthy sources, Governor Dauda is the one spearheading the forum seeking for a court order, which requires a number of rigorous procedures to be completed before it can be approved. Governor Dauda or his agents cannot sway or coerce the judiciary. The court’s name-dropping is ludicrous, ridiculous, and foolish for someone of his standing attempting to discredit his own brother for occupying a critical position in the government.

The statement says, “The public is advised to disregard such publication and should be wary of deceptive information emanating from the Governor of Zamfara or his proxies.”