By Our Correspondent
Gusau, January 7, 2026
The Zamfara State Government has raised the alarm over what it described as the use of federal security apparatus to harass and intimidate opposition figures in the state, alleging the involvement of the Minister of State for Defence and the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the state government accused the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, of orchestrating the alleged abduction of Saleem Abubakar, a Technical Assistant in the Office of the Zamfara State Governor, through operatives linked to the NSA’s office.
Matawalle was former Zamfara Governor, who was sacked in the last election by the sitting governor, Dauda Lawal.
According to the statement signed by the Governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, Abubakar was reportedly abducted in Abuja without an arrest warrant and taken to an undisclosed location. The government claimed that he was 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 State Minister for Defence,” the statement alleged.
The Zamfara Government described the incident as a “perilous precedent” that threatens the neutrality of Nigeria’s security institutions, warning that the alleged actions amount to political persecution and federal impunity.
“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 said.
The state government called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene by calling the Office of the National Security Adviser to order, stressing that such actions could damage Nigeria’s democratic credentials and international reputation.
It further maintained that if there were any allegations against Abubakar, the appropriate step should have been to charge him in court rather than subjecting him to what it described as an illegal abduction.
The Zamfara Government said it is closely monitoring the situation and vowed to pursue the matter to its “logical conclusion” to ensure that justice is served.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Office of the National Security Adviser or Minister of State (Defence) has reacted to the state government’s statement.
