Amina Mansur
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has announced ongoing investigations into allegations of banditry sponsorship in the North-West region.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, DHQ’s Director of Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, confirmed that relevant agencies are diligently probing the matter.
This development follows a heated exchange between the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, and his successor as Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal, with each accusing the other of involvement in banditry sponsorship.
On Tuesday, Matawalle publicly challenged Lawal to swear by the Holy Qur’an that he had no ties to bandit sponsors, to which Lawal responded by promising to release evidence implicating Matawalle.
Lawal has reportedly escalated the matter to the National Security Adviser and President Bola Tinubu.
When asked about the military’s role, Maj. Gen. Buba emphasized that appropriate agencies were handling the investigation and that announcements would be made soon.
Meanwhile, he reassured the public that the military remains focused on eliminating banditry, stating, “Winning a war is destroying the enemy’s will to fight.”
The press conference also highlighted the military’s successes between July and September 2024, with Buba revealing that 1,937 terrorists, including 65 insurgent leaders, were neutralized during this period.
In a related development, the Tinubu Youth Network (TYN), a youth group affiliated with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has called for Matawalle’s resignation as the Minister of State for Defence.
The group argued that the allegations against him are too severe to be ignored and could tarnish the party’s image. TYN’s Secretary General, Yusuf Muhammad, emphasized that loyalty to the President should not override accountability and urged a thorough investigation to clear Matawalle’s name.
Attempts to reach Matawalle for comment were unsuccessful as of the time of this report.