Zamfara State APC chieftain Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi has dismissed claims that a court approved a lawsuit to compel the federal government to investigate former Governor Bello Matawalle over alleged links to banditry.
Over the weekend, reports surfaced suggesting that the Federal High Court in Abuja had accepted a suit urging the government to probe Matawalle’s involvement in banditry.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1434/2024, listed President Bola Tinubu, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Inspector General of Police as defendants.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Shinkafi clarified that while a case had been filed, it had neither been assigned to a judge nor heard.
“A case filed is not a case heard, and a case heard is not a case determined until the court makes a pronouncement,” Shinkafi stated.
He further emphasised that the 1999 Constitution presumes all individuals are innocent until proven guilty.
Shinkafi criticised the report for failing to publish essential details such as court proceedings, judge information, and the defendant’s counsel.
Shinkafi urged media bodies like the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) to investigate the report’s accuracy.
He also expressed confidence in Matawalle’s exoneration, blaming the allegations on political opponents aiming to tarnish Matawalle’s reputation.
“We urge the Honourable Minister to remain focused in the quest for a strong, virile, united, progressive, equitable, and just democratic nation,” Shinkafi concluded.
