Matawalle: APC youths call for investigation over Abuja protest aganist Defence Minister

The Zamfara APC Youth Integrity Network (ZAYIN), has reacted to the protest staged against the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, in Abuja.

DAILY POST reports that hundreds of disgruntled women and youths from Zamfara State, on Tuesday, took their protest to the headquarters of the Department of Security Services in Abuja, over heightened insecurity in the state.

The aggrieved persons blamed the immediate-past governor of the state and now Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, for the heightened activities of bandits, which they claimed was a fallout of his alleged romance with them during his administration.

The group behind the protest, APC Akida Forum (AAF), was led by its chairperson, Musa Mahmud, who called for an investigation into alleged links between Matawalle and bandits.

Reacting, however, ZAYIN claimed the protests are being driven by political forces acting in proxy for Zamfara state governor, Dauda Lawal.

In a statement released on Tuesday evening, Alhaji Idris Ibrahim, President of the Zamfara APC Youth Integrity Network (ZAYIN), condemned the protest as part of a series of efforts by Governor Dauda Lawal to undermine the Minister’s work in combating insurgency.

Ibrahim said, “APC Akida Forum is a group owned and operated by one Tijani Ramalan, an ally of the Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal,” Ibrahim said.

“Anyone who was around the venue of the protest in Abuja would testify that the buses used to ferry the hired protesters were Zamfara State Government vehicles from the liaison office in Abuja, normally used for pilgrims,” Ibrahim said.

ZAYIN called on the DSS, the police, and other security agencies to investigate the APC Akida Forum thoroughly.

“We urge the authorities to identify their leaders, investigate their offices, their bank accounts, and any communications with the PDP government or the Zamfara Governor. Only then will Nigerians understand who the real enemies of the country are.”