Nigerians are dragging the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, after an old video of him giving excuses for bandits resurfaces.
The video reportedly dates back to February 2021, when he was the governor of Zamfara State.
In the video, he explained that not all bandits are criminals, adding that some of them became violent because of the injustice meted out to them by the local vigilante groups.
While explaining the reasons for the attacks, Mr Matawalle said those saddled with the responsibility of protecting the community sometimes rustle their cattle and destroy their livelihood.
The Premium Times reported the news at the time with a banner headline, “Not all bandits are criminals”- Zamfara Gov
The publication quoted him as making the declaration after leaving the office of the then-president, the late Muhammadu Buhari, where he had gone to discuss banditry in his state.
Matawalle said the bandits took law into their hands sometimes because they were cheated by the “so-called vigilante group”.
He alleged that the local vigilante groups would often go to their camps to destroy their property and take their animals.
Bello Matawalle said the bandits had no one to talk to, and consequently decided to go for revenge and reprisal attacks.
He was also reported to have blamed the military for contributing to the problem. The former governor said that when the military had settlements close to the villages, they sometimes destroyed properties and animals, forcing the people to become angry and take up arms.
Bello Matawalle stated that it was not proper to label all of them criminals, stressing that some of them are actually good citizens who resorted to criminality to right the wrong done to them.
Spotlight is being beamed on Matawalle because of the resignation of the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Bagudu.
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