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A former Commissioner of Information in Zamfara State, Ibrahim Dosara, has described renewed allegations against Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, as politically motivated.
Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State, is being linked to banditry amid the escalation of insecurity in the country.
Matawalle is facing further scrutiny after commentator, Farooq Kperogi, in a recent column, revisited allegations linking the minister to banditry.
However, in a statement on Sunday, Dosara, who served as commissioner for information under Matawalle in Zamfara, dismissed the allegations, warning that they could undermine national security efforts.
Wondering why the allegations are resurfacing at a time the country is making a fresh push to tackle insecurity, Dosara said the accusations have been repeatedly investigated without producing any indictment or official finding.
According to him, individuals who have made the claims over the years, including former aides and political rivals, have not pursued formal complaints through law-enforcement agencies, anti-corruption bodies or the courts.
Dosara said, “The allegations hurled at Dr. Matawalle have been part of Zamfara’s political theatre since 2019. They have been investigated, revisited, and subjected to scrutiny without producing a single indictment, charge, or official recommendation of wrongdoing.
“If any of the individuals cited — former aides with grievances, political opponents seeking relevance, or clerics influenced by partisan tensions — possessed credible evidence, the law provides clear avenues: the police, the intelligence agencies, the EFCC or ICPC, or a court of competent jurisdiction.
“Yet none has ever taken this path. Instead, the accusations survive only as sound bites, weaponised and recycled whenever political motivations demand it. In a constitutional democracy, due process — not speculation — remains the only acceptable test of integrity.”
A major element of the allegations against Matawalle is his administration’s approach to security during his governorship, particularly dialogue with armed groups.
However, Dosara said the portrayal of Matawalle’s administration in Zamfara has been distorted, noting that the administration expanded security deployments and strengthened intelligence coordination.
According to him, dialogue with armed groups were at the time supported by federal officials and security experts across the northern region. He explained that the strategy was abandoned when intelligence agencies assessed that it was no longer effective.
“Most importantly, the so-called “dialogues” now twisted out of context were, at the time, a nationally endorsed strategy recommended by security experts, northern elders, and federal authorities. Nearly every state in the Northwest and North-Central experimented with similar models,” he said.
Speaking on a 2021 video clip of Matawalle explaining the socio-economic roots of rural banditry, which resurfaced recently, Dosara said the clip has been taken out of context and does not amount to sympathy for criminals.
“Governors, military officers, researchers and community leaders have all made similar contextual analyses. Reducing nuanced security commentary to a scandal is not only unfair, it is irresponsible,” the ex-commissioner said.
In the same vein, Dosara dismissed claims that Matawalle lacked political backing, noting that the fact that he served three terms in the House of Representatives and became governor in 2019 shows strong political support.
He equally faulted those criticizing Matawalle’s appointment as a civilian minister in the defence sector. According to him, the criticism reflects a misunderstanding of global best practice.
He pointed out that countries with strong military might such as the United States and the United Kingdom usually appoint civilian officials to oversee the military.
Dismissing calls for Matawalle’s sack, Dosara said President Bola Tinubu’s decision to retain Matawalle is informed by intelligence briefings and internal assessments unavailable to the public. He argued that it was wrong to praise reforms in the defence sector while at the same time questioning the President’s judgment on personnel.
He warned that the allegations and what he described as politically charged commentary could undermine operational morale and public trust at a time when Nigeria is confronting insurgency, terrorism and organised crime, adding that country deserves a security discourse grounded in facts and not rumours.
Insecurity: Allegations against Matawalle politically motivated – Ex-commissioner
