Lawal made the claim on TVC’s Politics Tonight program on Wednesday night, citing credible information.
“From all the informations we’re getting, my Predecessor was fully involved in some of this banditry issue,” the governor was quoted as saying.
This revelation comes amidst unending activities of bandits in northern Nigeria, particularly in Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina states.
Lawal’s accusation is not the first time Matawalle has faced allegations of sponsoring banditry.
Notorious bandit leader Kachallah Bello Turji previously echoed similar claims in a video statement in July.
Turji had insisted that Matawalle has been involved in supporting terrorism in Nigeria’s North West region.
Meanwhile, the minister of state for defence, Bello Matawalle, has denied allegations levelled against him by Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara state that he is behind banditry in the state.
Reacting to the governor’s allegations, Bello Matawalle’s office said Governor Lawal has repeatedly towed the same line of action of accusing the Minister of sponsoring banditry which the Minister has consistently denied.
Matawalle’s office referred to a statement by his media consultants denying his involvement in banditry or terrorist activities. This followed a similar allegation in a video by wanted Bandit’s kingpin Bello Turji, who described the claims as baseless and mere attempts to distract and discredit him (Matawalle’s).
The statement, signed by Dayemi Saka, Lead Partner at Lambert and Curtis, read in parts: “Our attention has been drawn to a video shared on the X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook page in which baseless, malicious, unfounded, mischievous and deliberate concocted lies were told against the Honourable Minister of State for Defense, H.E Dr. Bello Muhammed Matawalle. “We are not unmindful of the sustained attacks on the person, integrity, and patriotic sense of duty of our client.
“It is noteworthy that the efforts of the honourable minister of state, while as Governor of Zamfara State between 2019 and 2023, saw banditry and all other sundry of criminality tackled head-on. “His demonstration of the strength of Character by insisting he was not going to negotiate with Bandits after the closure of the amnesty window for them to lay down their arms, and strong insistence of Bello Turji doing such is enough motivation for the hatchet man job is he doing.”
Despite Matawalle’s denial through his media consultant, Deyemi Saka, who labelled the claims as unfounded, Turji had maintained his stance.