The Zamfara State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, over what it described as unlawful harassment of members of opposition parties with security agents on the orders of Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle.
In a copy of the petition signed by the Director General, Governorship Campaign Council of the party, Iqra Aliyu Bilbis, and obtained by SaharaReporters, the party accused the governor of using all state apparatus including the Nigerian police, the Department of State Services and the State Vigilante Service to intimidate and suppress dissenting voices in the state.
“It is obvious that the Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, is all out to crush opposition and dissenting views and anyone that he sees as a threat in the quest for the realisation of his second term ambition. Well-meaning patriots who are non-political actors have neither been spared and are among the most affected victims of Matawalle’s war without reason.
“On the day of the event, Saturday 15th October, 2022, we set out to peacefully carry out our programs as stated above, but as people began to gather, the sponsored thugs led by an official of the State Government, Aliyu Alhazai Shinkafi, the former chairman of the Zamfara Anti-thuggery committee and commandant of the Zamfara Road Traffic Agency stormed the residence of our governorship candidate which happened to be the venue of our activities and attacked our peaceful procession and...