Defence Minister Matawalle Enmeshed In Controversy Over Bashir Family’s Alleged Illegal Detention

The Defence Minister of State Bello Matawalle, is currently enmeshed in a fresh controversy over alleged unlawful detention by the police of one Bashir Hadejia and his family.

Alhaji Umar Hadejia, father of Bashir, who raised the alarm about the safety of his family accused the minister for masterminding their alleged unlawfully detention.

In a press statement, he revealed that he and his five children were taken into custody on September 30, 2024, without warrants or formal charges, despite Bashir being granted bail earlier.

According to PRNigeria, the family’s troubles began when armed men, allegedly operating under Matawalle’s orders, raided Bashir’s home, brutally beating him before taking him to the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Alhaji Hadejia’s statement comes amidst allegations that his son had previously been the target of unsubstantiated claims made by the police and circulated widely on social media. According to Hadejia, subsequent police investigations revealed no basis for these allegations, prompting authorities to refrain from formally charging Bashir.

“I, along with my five children—Bashir, Bello, Mahmud, Abubakar, and Ahmad—have been unlawfully detained without any warrant of arrest or charges against us at the IRT unit in Abuja by the Inspector General of Police, under the directive of Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, since September 30, 2024,” Hadejia stated.

He continued, “The previously unfounded allegations against Bashir, propagated by the Inspector General of Police and Minister Matawalle, were proven false through police investigations, which found no grounds for charging Bashir. Despite securing a court order for Bashir’s release, the police have continued to detain my family and me unlawfully, without any reason given.”

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According to the report, upon arrival, DIA operatives were concerned about Bashir’s condition and promptly transferred him to the Aso Clinic for medical attention. Later, he was handed over to the police. Despite being granted bail and released on September 26, Bashir was re-detained, this time with his father and three younger brothers.

It gathered that Bashir had established a business relationship with Matawalle as Governor of Zamfara State. Following Matawalle’s unsuccessful bid for re-election in 2023, tensions flared between the two when Bashir developed a similar professional relationship with the current Governor, Dauda Lawal Dare.

No statement has been made by the Inspector General of Police and the Minister of State for Defence to addressed these serious allegations, despite PRNigeria’s outreach to their spokespersons as at press time.