I find it insulting that APC is accusing me of sponsoring bandits - Matawalle

Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara has reacted to the purported allegation by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that he is the one sponsoring armed bandits.

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that APC's deputy spokesperson, Yekini Nabena, claimed in a statement on Thursday, December 17, that a Nigerian governor from a northwest state is behind the attacks by bandits in the region.

He claimed that intelligence reports had linked the governor to the heightened cases of banditry, kidnappings, and other violent crimes.

Nabena, however, stopped short of mentioning the name of the governor being accused of the violent acts for security reasons.

However, Governor Matawalle in a thread of tweets on his Twitter handle on Sunday, December 20, claimed he was the one being accused by the APC, adding that he found the accusation insulting.

He tweeted:

"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."The Zamfara state governor added that his administration in less than two years has made significant progress in terms of security compared to the "APC's unfortunate eight years".

He added:

"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."Governor Matawalle further described the "sensitive" allegation as a "malicious calumny" by the APC.

He concluded:

"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."While the APC did not mention Governor Matawalle's name, Zamfara is one of the states in the northwest. Other states in the geopolitical zone are Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, and Sokoto.

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.

— Dr. Bello Matawalle (@Bellomatawalle1) December 20, 2020