Popular legend has it that Emperor Nero played the lyre (a stringed musical instrument) while the city of Rome burned in what came to be known as The Great Fire of Rome, which occurred in July 64 AD. Are we to assume, almost two thousand years later, that two of the political leaders of Zamfara State are playing the game of politics while the state bleeds in the cycle of violence that has been ailing it for a decade? Politics, of course, of self-preservation and ego, fed by personal ambition.
Governor Dauda Lawal Dare and his predecessor in office, current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, have accused each other of sponsoring the banditry going on in their state. Their disagreement started in the run up to the governorship election in 2022 in which Matawalle, who was the state governor between May 2019 and May 2023, sought re-election on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against Dauda, who vied for the seat on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The latter’s victory left a bile in the hearts of the ruling party’s chieftains at both the state and the national levels, creating a mutual animosity. Matawalle’s appointment as minister did not go down well with the state government.
Less than two weeks prior to Matawalle’s leaving office as governor, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced that it was investigating him over alleged diversion of N70 billion from the state government’s treasury while the new governor, upon taking office, declared that he inherited an empty treasury. The state government has been following up on the EFCC charge, which had gone cold after the ministerial appointment. The anti-graft agency announced only last week that it would revisit the allegations of funds embezzlement against the former governor.
Both the former and the incumbent governor have been trading brickbats for months, but they have both upped their ante in the last two weeks when they accused each other of sponsorship of the banditry in the state. It was Governor Dauda who first accused the minister of sponsoring the terrorism and a series of corruption. Matawalle has, in turn, denied the allegations and accused the governor of the one sponsoring the banditry.
It is easy to surmise that the two leaders have directly or indirectly recruited supporters from amongst political actors, the clergy, the media and civil society organisations to help launder their image while throwing mud against each other. It is near impossible for anyone to pick on a culprit in the roulette game of blame between the governor and the minister.
We at Blueprint believe that only the investigative agencies such as the EFCC, the Department of State Security (DSS), the army, the police, and others can go to the root of the matter and take the necessary action. We are happy to note that the EFCC has announced its decision to conduct a probe of Matawalle, following the demand of protesters that stormed its headquarters in Abuja. Nigerians need to be assured of Matawalle’s innocence or otherwise. The minister himself needs to have his name cleared through an impartial investigation and, if found to be liable, face the consequences.
Equally serious, the two gentlemen should be investigated for their mutually destructive allegations of terrorism sponsorship. Across the years, there have been various theories on the driving motives and instigators of the violence by non-state actors in the Northwest. The blame against each other by these political leaders has thrown up a new dimension that cannot simply be ignored despite their high position in the society. While the blame game continues, the criminality has not; it has only escalated, worsening the ugly situation in the poorest region in the country.
Now, more than ever before, the good of Zamfara need to have a clear answer to the question of who exactly is behind the kidnappings for ransom, displacement, dispossession and gruesome killings in the state and the neighbouring Katsina, Sokoto, and Kebbi states. Nigerians have been asking the same question, wondering just who made Zamfara what Governor Dauda calls “the hub of banditry” in the Northwest. The security agencies should be able to use all the resources at their disposal to provide the answers. The public spat between the minister and the governor should be regarded as a launch-pad for a full-blown inquiry, and no stone should be left unturned by the investigation.
Meanwhile, we urge President Tinubu to take the Zamfara matter more seriously. His recent deployment of more armed forces has begun to yield fruits with the killing of some of the leaders of the armed gangs terrorising the area. He should go a step further to unearth and expose the personalities instigating the violence. The war of attrition between the governor and the minister—two dramatis personae in the tragedy—is not a comedy that we should watch from the comfort of our couches. It was a call to action by the Federal Government.