What’s Matawalle Doing With 50 Vehicles?

Notes for File

A Federal High Court in Sokoto recently dismissed the suit filed by the immediate past Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle over ownership of more than 50 vehicles. The vehicles were said to belong to the Zamfara State Government. The official vehicles were allegedly carted away by the former governor and his supporters prior to the handing over of power on May 29, 2023.

Recall that in June, the Zamfara State Government gave the former governor and his deputy five working days to return all official vehicles they allegedly carted away.

When Matawalle ignored the request, the state government resorted to court action to retrieve the vehicles.

The state police command subsequently raided Matawalle’s residences and recovered the vehicles as ordered by the court.

After the vehicles were recovered, Matawalle quickly went to the Federal High Court in Gusau, which court granted an order for the cars to be returned to him. Additionally, he filed a separate suit at the same court, seeking to enforce his fundamental rights to own property, including the vehicles in question.

The state government requested the transfer of the case to another jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, which rejected Matawalle’s claim on the ownership of the official vehicles.

The current administration of Governor Dauda Lawal in the state had severally accused Matawalle, who is now the incumbent Minister of State for Defence, of allegedly frittering away billions of naira belonging to the people of the state on abandoned projects, shady contract deals and other forms of alleged financial recklessness.

If not for the greed associated with public officers in Nigeria, why would one man cart away 50 vehicles after allegedly leaving the state in debt? Does he want to set up a car shop or run a transport company? Beside the exotic cars, the governor allegedly went away with ambulances and trucks.

Even before he left office, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had declared that the former governor would be arrested for N70 billion fraud as soon as his immunity expired.

But despite all the weighty corruption allegations against him, President Bola Tinubu still went ahead to appoint him a minister.