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The Zamfara State Government has accused the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle of using the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to harass and intimidate opposition figures in the state.
This is contained in a Wednesday statement signed by the Spokesperson to the Zamfara Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris.
The state government alleged that the junior minister was behind the “illegal abduction” of Saleem Abubakar, a Technical Assistant in the Office of the Zamfara State Governor in Abuja on Tuesday.
The statement reads, “The Zamfara State Government is left with no other option but to bring to public notice how the Minister of State for Defence has used the office of the National Security Adviser to harass and intimidate the opposition.
“We received a shocking and distressing message that Saleem Abubakar, a Technical Assistant in the Office of the Zamfara State Governor, was abducted in Abuja yesterday.
“The illegal abduction was said to be carried out by a special forces unit from the office of the National Security Adviser.
“The most unfortunate and worrying part of the abduction of Saleem Abubakar is that it was syndicated through the office of the NSA by the State Minister for Defence, Bello Matawalle.
“The abductors, without an arrest warrant, took Saleem to an unknown location, which we later found out they moved him to different facilities to cover their tracks.”
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According to the state government, the harassment and intimidation of the opposition using federal might sets a perilous precedent that all Nigerians must strongly condemn.
“No amount of desperation is worth compromising the neutrality of the security,” the statement reads.
The state government said it could not afford to fold its arms and watch the highest security office of the country being used as a tool of political persecution.
“We call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to call the office of the National Security Adviser to order. Such reckless actions are detrimental to Nigeria’s reputation,” the state government said.
It challenged those behind the ordeal of the governor’s aide to charge him to court if there is truly a tenable case against him.
“If the Defence Minister or the abductors of Saleem Abubakar from the National Security Adviser’s office have any problem with him, they should charge him in court instead of abducting him.
“We are closely monitoring this case of federal impunity and will follow it to a logical conclusion, ensuring that justice is served,” the statement further reads.
Neither the office of the Minister of State for Defence nor the NSA has responded to the allegation as of press time.
