Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has berated the All Progressives Congress (APC) for accusing him of sponsoring banditry in the northwestern state.
Bibian AnekweNews reports that the APC accused an unnamed governor in North-West of sponsoring banditry in the region.
The APC’s statement last Thursday followed the abduction and release of over 300 schoolboys from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, by bandits.
Reacting in a series of post on his Twitter handle on Sunday, Matawalle said that the state was “a colony of banditry in the whole world” during the APC administration of his predecessor, Abdulaziz Yari.
He described as insulting for the ruling APC to accuse him of sponsoring bandits in his state.
The Zamfara governor claimed that although banditry has not been eliminated, terror attacks have drastically reduced in the state since he came into office.
Matawalle wrote, “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.
“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.”
Recall that APC in a statement by its spokesperson, Yekini Nabena, had claimed that an intelligence report fingered a north-west governor, he, however, stopped short of revealing the identity of the said governor.
The statement reads in part: “Our security agencies have intelligence reports linking one of the North-West governors of colluding and sponsoring the violent and criminal activities of bandits in the zone. I won’t give details because of the sensitive and security nature of the issue.
“However, relevant security agencies must as a matter of urgency investigate the report and determine its veracity. Human life is not what we should play political chess games with.
“We must shun enemies of the country including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who seek political gains from issues of insecurity.
“Our security agencies must also be alert to plots to further destabilise the North-west region and frustrate the quick and safe release of students abducted in Kankara Katsina State.”
