There are strong indications that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has come under pressure to drop the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawale, over the verbal war between the Minister and his state Governor, Dr. Dauda Lawal. Sunday Telegraph learnt that proponents of the move believed it would allow the President to conduct a proper investigation and save his own administration from public shame. Lawal had pointedly accused Matawale of housing bandits in Government House when he was in office. The governor argued that Matawale was responsible for four different types of banditry in the state. He said that they had some sections of the state, which were in total control of the bandits. Also, he asked his predecessor in office to step aside until he was cleared of the allegations. Lawal said: “If I were him, I would resign to face all the allegations against him.

From all the information we are getting, my predecessor was involved in some of the banditry we have in the state. A typical one is when a permanent secretary was abducted; it was unfortunate that he had to pay the ransom through the Government House “It is very clear based on all the allegations that bandits were being kept at Government House. There were so many issues. If I were him, I would step aside until I clear my name before I come back and continue my job. That would be more honourable. “How can you imagine all these allegations against him and he is still the Minister of Defence? That is unfair. This man would have been more honourable and stayed aside, faced this allegation, cleared his name and then came and continued his work whether he wanted to stay as a minister or do something else. That would have been more honourable. If I were him, I would put in my resignation letter.” Matawale, however, argued that the governor had not allowed them to rout out bandits. He is indirectly insinuating that the governor may also be culpable. He said that Governor Lawal should swear by the Holy Quran that he has no links with banditry and that Lawal has been making it difficult for the military to clear the bandits in the state due to his links with them.

Matawale said: “I challenged all the politicians, including General Ali Gusau and Dauda Lawal, to do the same. None of them could take the oath, and if they don’t take the oath, that means they are part of it.” Matawalle, however, defended his decision to engage in dialogue with bandits, a practice, he said, was supported by several governors and has led to the recovery of abducted persons and ammunition in Zamfara. “They should bring any proof of that,” the minister said. “Because I engage in dialogue, it was not only me. Remember that all the governors dialogued; the governor of Niger State engaged in dialogue with bandits, and the governor of Sokoto did the same. Why am I singled out? Because it is Zamfara?” “Zamfara is a very complex state with terrible human beings and devilish ideas.” Sunday Telegraph Sources said this was a very dangerous path. “This is the first time since insinuations and rumours about a government’s highly placed officials being involved in banditry are making the rounds. “This is the first time that a sitting governor would come out and identify somebody in such a very high office as being responsible for banditry.” It is not just a former governor but a current minister of defence. This is the first time,” one of the Sources, who did not want to be mentioned because he was not authorised to talk said. Another Source said: “I understand that the president is very worried about the development and some very close people to Mr President are urging him to take immediate action. If not for political expediency, the thinking is that the minister would have left the government. I do not know why that decision has not been taken. They have to stay aside, so that such very serious allegation is investigated.”

Further, Sunday Telegraph gathered that on the altar of political expediency, he may be quietly eased out alongside the impending cabinet reshuffle, and also, some people, who have been saying that banditry cannot survive if, they did not have people in high places supporting it, is justified. “They have been saying that it is people in high positions that are stoking this banditry and mainly for political reasons because it is the fight for political control of Zamfara State that has made this allegation to be thrown up. “But, I believe it is not just an allegation. There is no smoke without fire. So, Mr President is in a dilemma because people are telling that him he should do something. After all, his Minister of Defence is being accused of being a great patron and being responsible for banditry. Some people, who are also external to Nigeria are also urging the president to do something.”

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