- Lawal also accused the minister of corruption and misappropriation of N70b, stating that the matter had been with the EFCC for a year now.
A group in the All Progressives Congress (APC) known as the Tinubu Youth Network (TYN) has asked President Bola Tinubu to suspend
Bello Matawalle, minister of state for defence and investigate his alleged links with bandits.
Matawalle, an ex-governor of Zamfara, has been accused of ties to bandits — an allegation he has repeatedly denied.
Ali Gusau, a retired general, had accused Matawalle of working in cahoots with bandits for initiating dialogue with gunmen.
Last week, Dauda Lawal, governor of Zamfara, said if he were Matawalle, he would resign and work towards clearing his name.
Lawal detailed how the government house was used to pay ransom for abducted permanent secretary’s children under Matawalle’s administration.
However, Matawalle dismissed the allegation, saying that the dialogues initiated with bandits freed abducted victims, including Lawal’s brother, without ransom payment.
The ex- governor defended his anti-banditry measures, citing success from “having dialogue” with bandits during his tenure.
Speaking at a press conference in Kaduna on Thursday, Yusuf Muhammad, TYN secretary general, said the allegations leveled against Matawalle demand urgent investigation.
The group demanded the minister’s resignation for a thorough probe, adding that ignoring the allegations would harm the party long-term.
“These issues include the accusation of sponsoring bandits and misappropriation of state funds by his predecessor and the junior Defence Minister, Bello Matawalle,” the group said.
“These are serious matters that strike at the heart of governance, security, and the welfare of the people of Zamfara State and should not be handled lightly.
“We consider it our responsibility as youths to seek a thorough investigation into these serious claims to uphold the integrity of our party and our esteemed leader, the President.
“Failing to address these issues could hurt our party in the future, we want to emphasize that the issues at stake here are not just political problems.
“They encompass matters of life and death, economic survival, and the fundamental human rights of the citizens of Zamfara state, the Northwest, and Nigeria as a whole.”
Speaking further, Muhammad implored Tinubu not to ignore the minister’s accusations, adding that these allegations against Matawalle tarnish his administration.
“The investigation we want the President to conduct is not to castigate the minister, but to safeguard the integrity of the APC and the President’s good image,” he said.
“It is imperative that Bello Matawalle be removed from his position for a panel to be set up to investigate the allegations against him”.
“The minister shouldclarify his connections with dangerous individuals like Bello Tagoji, Musa Kamarawa, and Ardon Zuru.
“The Tinubu Youth Network believes that where there is smoke, there is fire.
“In the interest of upholding transparency and fairness, we strongly urge Bello Matawalle to step down from his position and subject himself to a thorough investigation.”