₦airaland Forum

Today's Saturday Tribune column wonders why Minister of State for Defense Bello Matawalle, implicated in many credible allegations of complicity in feather bedding banditry, still has a job when his boss Mohammed Badaru has been let go:

Even the severest critics of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration admit that the last few days have seen what appear (at least on the surface) to be a visible, reinvigorated, if Donald Trump-induced, earnestness in the fight against the unchecked widening and deepening of the theaters of death and destruction in the country.

The firing of former Defense Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (who infamously said in a BBC Hausa interview in late November 2025 that bandits are holed up in forests so impenetrable that bombs cannot get to them) and the appointment of General Christopher Musa in his place signaled a praiseworthy pivot in the direction of never-before-seen seriousness in tackling banditry and terrorism.

But this pivot is undermined, even scorned, by the retention of Bello Mutawalle as Minister of State for Defense.

The problem is not merely that Mutawalle has no background in defense or security. The problem is that he is beset by serious, credible and detailed allegations of complicity with the same bandits who have brought Zamfara and much of the Northwest to its knees.

These allegations have surfaced from multiple directions and from multiple periods, and they are consistent in their substance. They cast a dark shadow over his tenure as governor and raise troubling questions about his fitness to hold any security portfolio.

For example, a former senior aide of his gave an explosive interview in November 2025 in which he alleged that Matawalle provided “36 brand new Hilux vehicles” to notorious bandit commanders while he was governor and even maintained contact with these commanders after he became minister.

The aide also claimed that Matawalle purchased stolen livestock from the bandits at discounted prices. These allegations were not vague hints. They were specific actions accompanied by dates, names, and places, and they were made by someone who had worked closely with him.

This is not where the claims stop. While serving as governor, Matawalle was accused by his successor Dauda Lawal of harboring bandit leaders in the government house and turning the machinery of state toward enabling banditry rather than fighting it. According to reports, Lawal alleged that ransom payments to abductors often passed through government channels under Matawalle.

The accusations were so grave that Lawal called for Matawalle’s removal from the defense ministry on grounds that someone tainted by complicity should not be anywhere near Nigeria’s security apparatus.

Several respected Islamic clerics and political commentators have also raised longstanding claims that Matawalle procured vehicles for bandit leaders as part of what he styled as “peace efforts.”

These allegations aren’t recent, politically motivated hit jobs designed to get him out of his current job. They form a pattern that predates his time as minister and have endured long after he left the governorship.

Of course, Matawalle has denied all of these allegations, and has even reportedly offered to swear on the Qur’an that he has no links to bandits. But denial alone is not proof of innocence. The problem for him is not merely the fact of the accusations but the saturation of the accusations.

They come from a former aide, a sitting governor who succeeded him, Islamic clerics and investigative journalists. When allegations come from such diverse quarters and align in content, the burden shifts. Even if none is proven in a court of law, they have already damaged his credibility beyond repair.

Then there is the now infamous resurfaced video of him defending bandits and making excuses for their criminality. In that clip from 2021, recorded during his time as governor, Matawalle said of bandits that abduct, murder, and maim men, women and children: “not all of them are criminal.” He said bandits turned to criminal activities as a retaliation against vigilante groups who cheat them.

Nigerians who have lost family members or survived kidnapping attempts do not need anyone to tell them how tone-deaf such a defense sounds. Although the clip dates back some years, its resurgence is politically devastating because it reinforces what many Nigerians already suspected.

It shows a man who viewed bandits with indulgent sympathy at best. That video alone would have damaged a defense minister beyond redemption. Combined with the other allegations it makes his retention indefensible.

If President Bola Tinubu could ask Mohammed Badaru Abubakar to resign from his post as Minister of Defense to make way for General Christopher Musa, then there is absolutely no excuse for keeping Matawalle.

Like Abubakar, Mutawalle has zero security experience. But unlike Abubakar, Matawalle comes with enormous ethical baggage and a reputation clouded by claims of enabling the very terror he is supposed to fight. Keeping someone with no security expertise is one kind of error. Keeping someone with no expertise, little education and a tainted reputation is, frankly, national self-sabotage.

Tinubu’s original appointment of both Abubakar and Matawalle as defense ministers raised deep questions about his seriousness in confronting insecurity. What was the rationale for placing two civilians with no defense background at the helm of a ministry that requires seasoned security judgment?

Was it political balancing? Personal loyalty? Regional appeasement? Whatever the reason, it was shortsighted and dangerous at a time when insurgency and banditry had become existential threats. If the president now wants to show that he has awakened to the gravity of the crisis, the place to start is with the removal of those whose presence compromises the integrity of the defense sector.

Even on political grounds, Matawalle fails the most basic test. He has never won a statewide election. He became governor of Zamfara only because the Supreme Court voided the votes cast for the APC in 2019, ruled them wasted and ordered that the candidate with the second highest votes be sworn in.

He was what Nigerians like to call a “Supreme Court governor,” not a governor elected by the will of the people. When he finally faced the electorate in 2023, he lost.

Why does the president believe there is political value in a man who has never actually won the mandate of his state? Someone who cannot mobilize his own people cannot bring political advantage to the center. Someone who lost an election despite incumbency certainly cannot strengthen the political fortunes of an administration struggling with public trust.

In other words, Matawalle brings neither political nor security value to the government. Instead, he brings reputational risk. He is a political liability because he lacks electoral legitimacy. He is a security liability because the allegations against him erode public confidence and taint any efforts at reform within the defense ministry.

There is also no shortage of competent, apolitical, untainted security experts from Zamfara who could replace him without creating regional controversy. The state has produced senior military officers and respected security analysts who have real experience with counterinsurgency, civil-military relations and community-based security programs.

If Tinubu genuinely wants to send a message that his administration is serious about the war against bandits and terrorists, replacing Matawalle with a professional would send that message clearly.

The president cannot continue to insist that he is committed to restoring security while keeping someone whose name triggers suspicion and distrust. Nigeria is at a point where symbolism matters as much as substance.

A tainted defense minister sends the wrong signal to bandits and terrorists, to citizens, to the military, and to our international partners. It tells the world that politics still outranks competence at a moment when many are losing hope.

The fight against terrorists and bandits demands clarity of purpose. It demands leaders whose integrity is above reproach. It demands individuals who inspire confidence in troops and communities. Bello Matawalle does not meet that standard. Every day he remains in that office deepens public skepticism about the administration’s seriousness and chips away at whatever legitimacy the security sector still has.

If the president wants to convince Nigerians that he is taking the security crisis seriously, he must remove Matawalle. Keeping him undermines the mission, insults victims and burdens the nation with a defense minister whose reputation is incompatible with the gravity of the role.

The country deserves better. The security forces deserve better. And a government that claims to prioritize the restoration of peace cannot be served by a man whose name has become a symbol of the problem rather than the solution.

helinues:
You people have never won any support before, 2027 won't be different

"Foreign powers backing terrorists in Nigeria" – Sheikh Gumi

Renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has accused foreign powers of backing terrorists in Nigeria. Sheikh Gumi made this allegation during an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, claiming that recent patterns of attacks across the country suggest external support for armed groups operating in Nigeria.

The Islamic cleric stated that the situation on the ground contradicts earlier signs of improvement in national security. He pointed to the Abuja–Kaduna highway, once regarded as a deadly corridor for commuters, noting that the route had become far safer in recent months before the renewed surge in violence.

According to him, farmers in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, who had long abandoned their farmlands due to persistent threats, had gradually resumed farming activities, an indication that the security environment had shown signs of stability before the latest spike in attacks.

Gumi insisted that the sudden reversal in progress raises questions that cannot be ignored, urging the Nigerian government to intensify intelligence operations, strengthen diplomatic engagements, and scrutinise all external links that may be fuelling insecurity.

ebukal67x:
Pastor Kay and the Obidients are now in the same WhatsApp group.

OLAADEGBU:
Terror Suspects, Alleged Financiers Were Linked To Powerful Nigerians Including Ex-AGF Malami, Former Army Chiefs, Others –Maj. Gen. Ali-Keffi (Rtd)
Dec 05, 2025
https://www.nairaland.com/8575502/terror-suspects-alleged-financiers-linked#137699605

Criminals’ use of foreign internet services makes it difficult for security agents to track bandits in Nigeria, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has said. Bwala stated this while speaking in an interview with Nigeriainfofm, posted on their Instagram page on Friday.

He explained that while security agencies can trace Nigerians using local social media platforms, tracking criminals who rely on services outside the country is more complicated.

“There is a regulatory body in Nigeria that has the database of Nigerians and their phone numbers. There is also a body that deals with internet service provision, where if you are using an internet service covered within the sphere of Nigeria, they can trace through the IP address,” Bwala said.

He added, “If you are using Starlink, we cannot trace it because Starlink is not registered in Nigeria; it is in space. That is the problem they have in Ukraine and Russia. These terrorists most of the time are using cellular services from neighbouring countries and not from Nigeria, so it becomes tricky.”

Bwala’s comments highlight the technological challenges facing security agencies in the fight against banditry and terrorism across the country.

Nigeria has faced a surge in insecurity, with banditry, terrorism, and kidnappings increasingly affecting communities, particularly in the northwest and northeast. In the last few months, there have been multiple attacks on villages, abductions of schoolchildren, and raids on highways, causing widespread fear and disrupting local economies.

Recent reports indicate that some criminal groups are increasingly using social media and digital communication tools to coordinate their activities.

In[b] May 2025, a report by The Guardian stated that jihadists in the northeast were reported to be using TikTok to spread propaganda, risking youth recruitment and showcasing an arsenal of weapons and cash in videos accessible to millions.[/b]

In recent months, reports indicate that some suspected terrorists and bandits have turned to social media platforms such as TikTok to post videos of weapons, cash, and their hideouts.

These videos sometimes include threats, flaunting of ransom payments, or calls for support, creating a front that spreads fear and may aid recruitment. There are also documented cases where kidnappers and bandits flaunt ransom payments and loot on TikTok.

FULL LIST: Name, Constituency Of Rivers PDP Lawmakers Who Did Not Defect To APC.

Following the mass defection of lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the floor of the House, other members of the House remain loyal to the party.

Rivers State House of Assembly adopts a resolution to adopt the auditorium of the legislature quarters as the lawful and recognised hallowed chambers of the house.

10 remaining members of PDP in the Rivers State House of Assembly select officers and administer oath of office for the following
-Minority leader
-Deputy majority leader
-Minority whip
-Deputy minority whip

1. Hon. Mrs. Emilia Lucky-Amadi-Obio/Akpor
2. ⁠Hon. Justina Emeji- Emohua
3. ⁠Hon.Ignatius Onwuka-Etche1
4. ⁠Hon. Mrs. Barile Nwakor – Khana 1
5. Hon. Mrs Ezekwe Nkemjika- Ogba-Egbema Ndoni II
6. Hon. Queen Owuma Tony-Williams- Ahoada East 1
7. ⁠Hon. Lemchi Nyeche – Ikwerre Constituency
8. Hon. Sylvanus Nwankwo- Omuma
9. Hon. Iderima John Dominic- Abua /Odual
10. Hon. Mgbar Bernard- Tai

TVC previously reported that 17 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly defect from PDP to APC on the floor and of the House.

Rivers State House of Assembly adopts resolution to adopt the auditorium of the legislature quarters as the lawful and recognised hallow chambers of the house.