Court orders retrieval of over 50 government vehicles carted away by former Zamfara Governor

The legal action initiated by the former Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, concerning the ownership of more than 50 vehicles allegedly belonging to the State Government, has been rejected.

Matawalle had filed the lawsuit in response to a raid on his residence, during which the vehicles were discovered. He asserted ownership of the vehicles, which he was accused of acquiring prior to the transfer of power on May 29, 2023.

The spokesperson for the Zamfara State Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, confirmed the dismissal of the lawsuit. He mentioned that the former governor and his cabinet members had taken away numerous essential official vehicles that belonged to the state government, thereby leaving the current administration without any vehicles for official use.

The statement reads, “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 number of over 50 vehicles were recovered by the police.

“After the vehicles were recovered, Bello Matawalle quickly went 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.

Court orders retrieval of over 50 government vehicles carted away by former Zamfara Governor

“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 leaves 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.”