The Zamfara State Government has accused the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, of using the Office of the National Security Adviser to harass and intimidate opposition figures in the state.
The state government raised the alarm following the alleged abduction of a technical aide to the governor, Mr Saleem Abubakar, in Abuja.
In a statement issued in Kaduna on Thursday by the spokesperson to the governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, the government alleged that Abubakar, who serves as a Technical Assistant in the governor’s office, was taken away by operatives believed to be from a special forces unit linked to the Office of the National Security Adviser.
According to the statement, the abduction occurred without an arrest warrant and outside any known legal procedure.
The government claimed that the operation was “syndicated through the Office of the National Security Adviser” and allegedly carried out at the instance of the Minister of State for Defence.
Idris described the incident as “shocking and distressing,” adding that Abubakar was taken to an unknown location and later moved between different facilities in an attempt to conceal his whereabouts.
“The most unfortunate and worrying part of the abduction of Saleem Abubakar is that it was syndicated through the office of the NSA by the Minister of State for Defence,” the statement read.
The Zamfara State Government warned that the alleged action set a dangerous precedent and threatened the neutrality of Nigeria’s security institutions.
“This is a perilous precedent that all Nigerians must strongly condemn. No amount of desperation is worth compromising the neutrality of the security,” Idris said.
The government further accused federal authorities of deploying state security machinery as a tool of political persecution against opposition elements in the state.
“We cannot afford to fold our arms and watch the highest security office of the country being used as a tool of political persecution,” the statement added.
The government called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene urgently and rein in the Office of the National Security Adviser.
According to Idris, “Such reckless actions are detrimental to Nigeria’s reputation and democratic standing.”
The state government insisted that if Abubakar had committed any offence, due process should be followed.
“If the Defence Minister or the abductors of Saleem Abubakar from the NSA’s office have any issue with him, they should charge him in court instead of abducting him,” the statement said.
The government said it was closely monitoring developments surrounding the incident and vowed to pursue the matter to its logical conclusion.
“We will ensure that justice is served and that this case of federal impunity does not go unchallenged,” Idris added.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Office of the National Security Adviser nor the Minister of State for Defence had responded to the allegations. ENDS.
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