Bello Mohammed Matawalle, a former assistant to the Minister of State for Defense, has accused his former principal of working with security personnel to kill alleged adversaries, defend supporters, and enable transactions with infamous bandit commanders while he was governor of Zamfara State.
According to reports, Matawalle was named Minister of State for Defense by Bola Tinubu in August 2023 after serving as governor of Zamfara till 2023.
Musa Muhammad Kamara, commonly known as Musa Kamarawa, made the accusations in an interview with rHi Hausa, a Hausa-language media outlet.
Kamara claimed to have been Matawalle’s Senior Special Assistant during his tenure as Zamfara State’s governor.
“I’m Musa Muhammad Kamara. “I am a citizen of Zamfara State and a former SSA to Dr. Bello Matawalle, the current Minister of Defense and former governor of Zamfara,” he declared.
According to Kamara, Matawalle collaborated with police personnel to protect others while eliminating those he deemed adversaries.
“He employs police officers who kill anyone he commands and spare anyone he chooses,” Kamara asserted.
Kamara claims that his issues started in 2021 when he received an invitation from security personnel regarding claims that the Zamfara State Government had purchased cars for criminals.
He stated the allegations came after a preacher named Mallam Murtala Asada purportedly said that government officials purchased cars for bandit leaders including Halilu Sububu and Bello Turji.
As part of an engagement approach at the time, Kamara claimed, “I explained to them that I am SSA to the Governor and indeed the governor bought vehicles and gave them to them.”
He added that another car was purchased when one of the vehicles had a problem.
“I got them another Hilux,” he claimed.
Throughout the interview, Kamara asked Matawalle to publicly refute the accusations under oath and continuously affirmed his statements by citing the Holy Qur’an.
He declared, “I swear by the Holy Qur’an that I’m speaking the truth,” adding that Matawalle need to do the same if the assertions were untrue.
Kamara further claimed that Matawalle conspired with members of the Nigeria Police Force to target him once he started giving public speeches.
“He plotted with law enforcement.” Kamara asserted, “They sent them on errands to kill whoever he wanted to kill and free whoever he wanted to be free.”
He said that the cases against him amounted to “media trials” and that the prosecution had consistently neglected to call witnesses.
Kamara refuted rumors that he still has ties to the current leadership of the Zamfara State Government.
“I have not returned to Government House since the day I left when Matawalle was governor,” he stated, adding that he has no affiliation with the current administration.
Additionally, Kamara said that Matawalle later silently dropped a case against him by using federal institutions.
According to him, the case was moved to the Federal High Court in Abuja, where it ultimately failed for lack of proof.
He stated, “The case was discharged because there was no witness and no evidence.”
Kamara claimed that despite the case being dismissed, he still worries about his safety and that he is being silenced by powerful interests.
He declared, “They only want to kill me and keep it quiet at all times; they do not want justice.”
As at the time this story was filed, Matawalle has not addressed the accusations in public.
