The Zamfara state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under its chairman, Hon. Tukur Umar Danfulani, has threatened to take legal action against Zamfara governor’s spokesperson, Mustapha Jafaru Kaura, for accusing the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohamed Matawalle of masterminding the kidnapping of over 300 students of Kankara Secondary School in Katsina state in 2020.
This was announced by the state publicity secretary of the party, Yusuf Idris, in a statement issued in Gusau Wednesday.
The party condemned the story peddled by the Zamfara state government against the APC leaders in the state, especially against the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle.
“The callousness of Mustapha Jafaru Kaura, spokesman to Zamfara state governor, Dauda Lawal, characterised by open insults, character assassination and direct abuse of APC Zamfara state chapter chieftains, particularly the state party leader, and current Minister of State for Defence, former governor, Bello Mohammed Matawalle as well as another former governor, now Senator, representing Zamfara West, Hon. Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar.”
The party stated that it can no longer tolerate the falsehood by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
“The recent outpouring by Mustapha Jafaru Kaura that over 300 students of GSS, Kankara, in the bordering state of Katsina were whisked into the forest at gunpoint on 11 December, 2020, by a gang of armed bandits and indeed many kidnappings followed a deliberate collaboration between former governor, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, now Minister of State for Defence and the bandits will be met with court action to be filed by the party so Kaura can provide all the details of his assertions.
“The governor’s spokesman even went further to alledge that Matawalle collected the sum of N300 million from his Katsina state counterpart, former governor Aminu Bello Masari, in the name of facilitating the release of the victims, out of which he said, Matawalle only gave the criminals N30 million.
“The APC which fought Zamfara bandits to their knees during Matawalle’s four year term as governor, is taking exception to these claims and has directed its legal team to drag the governor’s spokesman to court.”