A Federal High Court in Sokoto has ruled against former Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle, instructing him to return official vehicles he took upon leaving office in May.
The court’s decision followed a police raid on Matawalle’s residences in June, seizing the vehicles as mandated by the court.
Governor Dauda Lawal’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, stated on Monday that the court rejected Matawalle’s claims regarding the ownership of the official vehicles. The former governor and his cabinet members were accused of taking away all state government-owned vehicles, leaving the current administration without essential resources.
The statement stated, “Recall that in June, the Zamfara State government gave the former Governor and his deputy five working days to return all official vehicles taken away.
“All demands for the return of the said vehicles proved abortive, and as a result, the Zamfara State government resorted to obtaining a court order to retrieve them.
“In pursuit of that order, a total of over 50 vehicles were recovered by the police.
“After the vehicles were recovered, Bello Matawalle quickly rushed to the Federal High Court in Gusau.
“The court granted an order for the cars to be returned to him.
“Additionally, he filed a separate suit at the same court seeking to enforce his fundamental right to own property, including the vehicles in question.
“The Zamfara State Government requested the transfer of the case to another jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.
“The Federal High Court of Nigeria, Sokoto Judicial Division, dismissed the matter on Friday.
“The court refused the reliefs sought by Bello Matawalle and rejected his claim to the ownership of the official vehicles.
“As a result, the vehicles are still considered the property of the Zamfara State government.
“Our government is committed to recovering all that rightfully belongs to the people through an all-encompassing rescue mission that will leave no stone unturned.
“The judgment by the Federal High Court will encourage us to ensure that justice prevails and all perpetrators of financial banditry in Zamfara are brought to book,” it concluded.
