Matawalle mistakenly said all bandits are criminals, says aide

Zailani Bappa, media aide to Bello Matawalle, governor of Zamfara state, says his principal did not intend to say that all bandits are criminals.

Speaking with reporters after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock villa on Thursday, Matawalle had said not all bandits are criminals.

The comment sparked a heated debate, with the governor getting knocks from various quarters.

In a statement released on Friday to clarify his principal’s comments, Bappa said if Matawalle used the word “bandits”, it must have been a mistake.

The aide said Nigerians should disregard the reported comments.

“Indeed, His Excellency was at the Presidential villa yesterday to brief Mr President on the security situation in the state. He also granted a short interview with the press crew at the villa,” he said.

“If indeed he mentioned the word BANDITS instead of FULANI, then it was an inadvertent mistake as common sense dictates that banditry cannot at any time be justified as a non-criminality.

“We wish to call on all Nigerians who come across this story to disregard the message as that is not at all what His Excellency meant to say nor the kind of message he wanted to portray.”