By The Zamfara State Government has announced the recovery of 40 vehicles from the residences of Bello Matawalle, the immediate former governor of the state. The police conducted the operation early Friday morning, surrounding both residences located in Gusau, the state capital, and Maradun, Matawalle’s hometown.
In a statement released on Friday evening, Sulaiman Bala-Idris, the spokesperson for the Zamfara governor, stated that the state government had officially notified Mr. Matawalle to return all state government vehicles within five days, but he declined to comply. The police’s actions were based on a court order and a search warrant obtained for the operation.
“The Zamfara State Government previously communicated to former Governor Bello Matawalle and his Deputy, requesting the return of all missing vehicles within five working days. We also filed an official complaint with the police regarding the excessive looting of valuables, including official vehicles, which goes against public interest,” Bala-Idris stated.
“Consequently, the police sought and obtained a search warrant from the court, leading to the raid of Matawalle’s residences in Gusau and Maradun, as well as an undisclosed hideout. The operation resulted in the recovery of over 40 vehicles, including three bulletproof vehicles and eight SUVs,” he added.
However, the All Progressives Congress (APC), through its spokesperson Yusuf Idris-Gusau, criticized the invasion of Mr. Matawalle’s residences in an earlier statement. The APC deemed the invasion unlawful and condemned it as a barbaric and brutal trespass by the governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal.
“The unlawful invasion represents a flagrant violation of the fundamental provisions of sections 34, 35, 37, 41, 42, and 43 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Idris-Gusau stated. “The motive behind this invasion remains a mystery to the people of Zamfara State. If the government has any case against the former governor, why not bring him to court instead of resorting to such barbaric and uncivilized means?”
The statement further emphasized that neither the governor nor any security agency has the right to invade someone’s residence without notice or a warrant.
Efforts to reach the police spokesperson in the state, Yazid Abubakar, for comment were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
