In a legal salvo aimed at two high-profile journalists and their employers, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has filed a lawsuit against Shu’aibu Mungadi and Tijjani Ramalan, alleging defamation and malicious reporting. The former Zamfara State governor, now a federal minister, is demanding N10 billion in damages from each of six defendants, accusing them of depicting him as a sponsor of banditry in northern Nigeria.
The suit, marked K/M2102/2024 and filed on October 25, includes a detailed affidavit from Matawalle’s personal assistant, Alhaji Masudu Abdulkadir. The affidavit asserts that Mungadi and Ramalan, through multiple broadcasts, conveyed statements implying Matawalle’s complicity in the region’s security crises, including banditry and kidnapping. Matawalle, who served as Zamfara’s governor and thus the state’s chief security officer, contends he worked to counter insecurity, calling the allegations “libellous” and “injurious.”
The lawsuit extends beyond the two journalists, naming their employers—Vision Media Services Ltd, Vision FM, Farin Wata Television, and Liberty Radio and TV—as co-defendants. Matawalle’s legal counsel argues that unless restrained, the defendants will continue to broadcast what he describes as “character assassination.”
Matawalle is seeking a court order preventing any further publication, broadcast, or insinuation that implicates him in banditry, pending the resolution of the case. “The plaintiff will pay damages should the suit be found frivolous,” the affidavit noted, underscoring Matawalle’s commitment to clearing his name.
Through a concurrent writ, the minister’s counsel is asking for a permanent injunction barring the defendants from making further defamatory statements and for an apology, both publicly and in print. The apology, the writ insists, must include a retraction and be prominently placed in two national newspapers.
Matawalle’s action comes on the heels of rising calls for accountability from influential quarters. The Akida Forum, a faction within the ruling All Progressives Congress, recently called for an inquiry into Matawalle’s alleged links to insecurity in Zamfara and other northwestern states. A similar appeal was issued by Zamfara’s Governor Dauda Lawal, who urged the minister to resign and clear his name, and has formally reported the matter to Nigeria’s National Security Adviser and President Tinubu.
Despite mounting scrutiny, Matawalle has steadfastly rejected all accusations, maintaining he is committed to Nigeria’s security.
