A former Zamfara State Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Dosara, has strongly refuted renewed claims linking the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to banditry, describing the allegations as recycled political propaganda lacking any legal basis.
In a detailed statement on Sunday, Dosara said the resurfacing of the accusations coincides with the federal government’s intensified efforts to combat insecurity, suggesting that the timing is far from coincidental. He argued that the allegations are being revived for political advantage rather than anchored in evidence.
According to Dosara, these claims have circulated since 2019 and have been investigated multiple times without yielding a single indictment, charge, or official recommendation against Matawalle. He stressed that individuals who have repeatedly pushed the allegations—ranging from disgruntled former aides to political rivals—have consistently avoided formal channels for seeking justice.
He noted that Nigeria’s legal framework provides clear pathways for pursuing credible allegations, including reporting to the police, intelligence agencies, or anti-corruption bodies such as the EFCC and ICPC, as well as filing cases in court. However, Dosara said none of the accusers has ever taken these steps, underscoring what he views as the frivolous nature of the claims.
“The accusations thrown at Dr. Matawalle have long been part of Zamfara’s political drama,” he said. “They are recycled whenever it suits certain interests, but they have never survived scrutiny under due process. In a democracy, integrity is tested by facts and law, not by speculation amplified for political theatre.”
Dosara further argued that narratives portraying Matawalle’s tenure as sympathetic to armed groups are misleading. He highlighted that the administration increased security presence across the state and worked closely with intelligence agencies to improve coordination.
He explained that engagement with armed groups—now described by critics as evidence of wrongdoing—was at the time a widely endorsed strategy. Federal authorities, security experts, and northern leaders supported dialogue initiatives implemented across many states in the Northwest and North-Central regions. These approaches were discontinued only after intelligence assessments indicated they were no longer effective.
Dosara maintained that attempts to twist the historical context of these security measures are politically motivated and ignore the broader national strategy that guided state-level decisions during that period.
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