The Zamfara State Government has accused the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, of allegedly using the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to intimidate opposition figures in the state an allegation the minister and his aide have strongly denied.
The accusation follows the reported abduction of Saleem Abubakar, a Technical Assistant to Governor Dauda Lawal, in Abuja. In a statement issued on Thursday, the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, claimed that Abubakar was picked up by operatives believed to be linked to the NSA’s office, without an arrest warrant or due process.
Idris described the incident as “shocking and distressing,” alleging that Abubakar was moved between undisclosed locations to conceal his whereabouts. He warned that such actions threaten the neutrality of Nigeria’s security institutions and called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene.
“The most worrying part is that this alleged abduction was syndicated through the office of the NSA by the Minister of State for Defence,” the statement said, adding that if Abubakar committed any offence, he should be charged in court according to the law.
Reacting, Alhaji Suleiman Shinkafi, an aide to Matawalle, dismissed the claims as baseless and politically motivated.
He insisted that neither Matawalle nor any federal security agency was targeting opposition members in Zamfara.
Shinkafi argued that the PDP, not the APC, currently controls Zamfara, claiming APC members have faced intimidation since the disputed 2023 governorship election.
He alleged that about 16 APC members are presently in custody over politically related cases.
Matawalle has also denied the allegation, insisting there is no truth to claims linking him to the reported incident.
