A Federal High Court in Sokoto, Sokoto State, has directed Bello Matawalle, the State Minister of Defence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government, to relinquish approximately 50 official vehicles currently in his possession to the Zamfara State government. The court issued this order while dismissing a lawsuit filed by Matawalle, the former governor of Zamfara State. Headline News reports
In June, the Zamfara State Police Command conducted a raid on Matawalle’s residences, seizing official vehicles that he had taken upon leaving the governor’s office on May 29, 2023, in compliance with a court order.
A statement released on Monday by the Spokesperson of the Zamfara State Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, revealed that the Sokoto division of the Federal High Court rejected Matawalle’s assertions of ownership of the contested official vehicles.
The statement explained that the former governor and his cabinet members had appropriated all official vehicles belonging to the state government, leaving the current administration without any means of transportation.
The statement emphasized, “In June, the Zamfara State Government gave the former governor and his deputy five working days to return all official vehicles taken away. All demands for the return of the said vehicles proved abortive, and as a result, the Zamfara State Government resorted to obtaining a court order to retrieve them. In pursuit of that order, a total number of over 50 vehicles were recovered by the police.”
Following the vehicle recovery, Bello Matawalle promptly approached the Federal High Court in Gusau, securing an order for the return of the cars to him. Simultaneously, he filed a separate suit at the same court, seeking to uphold his fundamental right to own property, including the contested vehicles.
The Zamfara State Government then requested the transfer of the case to another jurisdiction of the Federal High Court. On Friday, the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Sokoto Judicial Division, dismissed the matter, refusing the reliefs sought by Bello Matawalle and rejecting his claim to the ownership of the official vehicles. Consequently, the vehicles are recognized as the property of the Zamfara State Government.
The statement from the Zamfara State Government declared its commitment to reclaiming all assets rightfully belonging to the people through a comprehensive rescue mission. It affirmed that the court’s judgment would strengthen their resolve to ensure justice prevails and hold all individuals involved in financial malpractices in Zamfara accountable.
