On October 17, 2023, Belgium’s Justice Minister, Vincent van Quickenborne, resigned a day after a terrorist attack that claimed two lives. He stepped down after it was revealed that the justice authorities had ignored requests from the Tunisian government to extradite the terrorist responsible, the year prior. “This is an inexcusable error which has had dramatic effects. I want to take full responsibility for this [terrorist attack],” the minister announced as he resigned.
In Nigeria, however, leaders seldom take responsibility for their failures, unlike the Belgian minister and other public officials worldwide. It is thus unsurprising that the allegations surrounding the current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, accusing him of supporting terrorists and bandits during his tenure as governor of Zamfara State, have been met with silence. Everything has seemingly returned to “normal,” so to speak. In more accountable societies, Matawalle, a key figure in the country’s defence hierarchy, would have either stepped aside to address the allegations or been removed from office by the president who appointed him.
On September 21, 2024, Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, shocked the nation when he accused Matawalle of sponsoring terrorism and banditry, especially in Zamfara State. Lawal made these serious claims during an interview with TVC on September 18, 2024, alleging that Matawalle, while serving as governor, provided vehicles to bandit leaders, including the notorious Bello Turji, who has terrorised most parts of the northwest for nearly a decade. He further claimed that Matawalle harboured terrorists at the government house and facilitated ransom payments to them.
Governor Lawal expressed disbelief that someone with such a serious moral burden could be appointed as a minister in the first place. “If I were him, I would resign and face all the allegations against me,” he stated, referencing the substantial security information at his disposal. Such accusations, coming from a sitting governor, should be treated with the utmost seriousness. However, the lack of a decisive response from the Presidency has left many Nigerians both dismayed and incredulous. A source within the Presidency, quoted by PUNCH newspaper (September 21, 2024), provided only a vague and non-committal response: “You will get the answer to your question when the President announces the new cabinet list soon.”
This is not the first time Matawalle has faced such serious accusations. In January 2022, the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) accused him of sponsoring banditry and demanded his resignation. However, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) dismissed these claims as partisan rhetoric. Further complicating matters, an Islamic scholar, Bello Asada, has also corroborated the allegations against Matawalle. According to the same PUNCH edition referenced above, Asada claimed that Matawalle purchased 34 vehicles for terrorist leaders, including a brand-new 2019 Hilux for Halilu, a notorious bandit. Asada questioned why law enforcement, which has the ability to trace stolen phones, has failed to capture prominent terrorists like Bello Turji, despite their presence on social media and their use of phones to negotiate ransoms.
Matawalle’s alleged involvement in these atrocities underscores a growing concern among Nigerians that internal complicity may be prolonging the fight against terrorism and banditry. It is particularly troubling that while security agencies can effectively track minor criminals, they seem unable to apply the same resources and technology to apprehend high-profile terrorists and bandits.
Between May 29, 2023, when President Tinubu took office, and May 29, 2024, the ongoing wave of terrorism and banditry resulted in more than 4,556 deaths and 7,086 abductions, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). These grim statistics highlight that more people were killed during the first year of the Tinubu administration than in the previous year, signalling a worsening security situation.
Indeed, these statistics show that the carnage resulting from terrorism and banditry in the country is rapidly surging. Therefore, this is a wake-up call to President Tinubu to live up to his most important constitutional responsibility of protecting the lives and property of citizens. He can begin by ensuring that this nagging matter of a sitting minister of state for defence purportedly working at cross-purposes with his core mandate is finally put to rest. That will not only restore the confidence of Nigerians in their leader’s ability to defend them but serve as a warning to other individuals and groups aiding these criminals to retrace their steps.
That is the Matawalle burden weighing heavy on both the minister and President Tinubu.