A Nigerian governor from the Northwest state has reacted to the allegation by the All Progressives Congress (APC) of sponsoring armed bandits.
It should be recalled that APC’s deputy spokesperson, Yekini Nabena, claimed in a statement on Thursday, December 17, that a Nigerian governor from a northwest state is behind the attacks by bandits in the region.
Nabena claimed that intelligence reports had linked the governor to the heightened cases of banditry, kidnappings, and other violent crimes. He noted that he won’t mention the name of the governor being accused of the acts for security reasons.
However, Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara has claimed he was the one accused of the acts.
The Governor, in a series of tweets on his Twitter handle on Sunday, December 20, said he found the accusation insulting.
He tweeted:
“I find it insulting that the Apc is accusing me of sponsoring bandits in my own state. We all are living witnesses to the fact that during Apc’s tenure, Zamfara state was adjudged as a colony of banditry in the whole world.”
“We are not claiming that insecurity has totally been eliminated in Zamfara but it is on record that terror attacks have reduced drastically in the state in less than two years than Apc’s unfortunate eight years when people were running away from the state.”
I find it insulting that the Apc is accusing me of sponsoring bandits in my own state. We all are living witnesses to the fact that during Apc’s tenure, Zamfara state was adjudged as a colony of banditry in the whole world.
— Dr. Bello Matawalle (@Bellomatawalle1) December 20, 2020
Governor Matawalle further described the “sensitive” allegation as a “malicious calumny” by the APC.
He concluded:
“This is a malicious calumny by the ruling party, releasing a statement as sensitive as that, knowing fully how miserable they governed the state for the past years. Their statement is not only laughable but shows the type of leadership they have.”
