Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has denied allegations linking him to banditry.
He reiterated that he has no connections to the criminal activities plaguing Zamfara and other states.
He revealed this while speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday.
Matawalle emphasized that he swore by the Holy Quran to demonstrate his innocence and commitment to addressing insecurity.
“I am the only governor that has sworn by the Holy Quran that I have no hand or connections with banditry or I am not happy with what is happening,” Matawalle stated.
He pointed out that his administration, along with others in the region, pursued dialogue with bandits as a strategy to secure the release of abducted individuals and recover arms.
The former Zamfara governor maintained that this approach yielded positive results without the payment of ransom.
“The dialogue brought significant success,” Matawalle said.
“We recovered weapons and secured the release of thousands of abducted individuals, including foreign nationals, without paying a single kobo in ransom.”
Matawalle further expressed frustration over what he described as blackmail attempts by certain politicians who, he claims, oppose his fearless approach to confronting criminal activities in the state.
“The people who oppose me do so because I go after them,” he added.
He confirmed that some of these individuals are politicians.
“I challenged all the politicians, including General Ali Gusau and Dauda Lawal, to do the same [swear by the Quran], but none of them could take the oath, and if they don’t take the oath, that means they are part of it.”
Matawalle also cited similar instances of dialogue from global practices, noting that negotiations have been used in various countries to save lives.
He referenced former President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts to negotiate the release of the Chibok girls as an example of why dialogue can be a necessary tool in addressing security challenges.
While rejecting the claims against him, Matawalle maintained that his conscience remains clear.
“I have always acted in good faith. People are spreading misconceptions out of hate, but I have no regrets because we achieved a lot of success,” he concluded.
