The All Progressives Congress in Zamfara State has strongly criticized the unauthorized raid on the residence of former governor Bello Matawalle in his hometown.The party described the invasion as a “gross violation of sections 34, 35, 37, 41, 42 and 43 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

In a statement on Friday, the APC Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris, said there was no law in the country that gave the police, the DSS, or any other security outfit the right to, without notice nor warrant, invade on any citizen’s property”.

He emphasized that the actions of the police and the DSS were inappropriate and raised concerns about their potential political motivations.

The statement read, “If the government thinks it has any case against the former Governor why not charge him to court instead of resorting to such barbaric and uncivilized means?.

“We call on the Nigerian Police Force and Department of State Service (DSS) as a matter of urgency, to take a decisive stand against this misadventure by Zamfara state Government, and the perpetrators must be identified and made to face the dire consequences of their action.

“To say the least, the action which is said to have been directed by Governor of Zamfara, Dauda Lawal is archaic, barbaric, brutal, unacceptable, and an illegal trespass on the former governor’s property in Gusau and his hometown Maradun.

“There is no law in the country that gave the police, the DSS, or any other security outfit the right to, without notice nor warrant, invade any citizen’s property.

“Similarly, no governor of a state under whatever guise, reason, or purpose has the right to, without notice invade on other people’s property.

“The police and the DSS in Zamfara acted in error and can be accused of being political in their actions, which we want an immediate arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators.

“We call on the Inspector General of Police to direct for an immediate investigation and prosecution of those who carried out the illegal act of breaking into the two residences of Zamfara State APC leader and former Governor Bello Matawalle.

At present, the roads leading to Bello Matawalle’s residence in Gusau have been blocked by the police, and officers have been stationed at all his residences as well.

In light of this, there is a strong appeal to the Inspector General of Police to promptly order the arrest of the stationed police officers and investigate the reasons behind their deployment.

“The former governor has consistently stated that he has nothing to conceal, but it is imperative that any action taken against him or his property follows legal procedures.”

“We urge the police and all sister security agencies and their agents to trade political grounds with caution as we cannot condone such action, especially in our dear state, which has deteriorating security challenges.”

Earlier today, reports emerged of a significant presence of heavily armed security personnel who forcefully entered the residence of Bello Matawalle, the former governor, in Maradun, his hometown. Witnesses, including a local resident named Mohammed Ahmed, confirmed that the security agents, consisting of police and DSS personnel, arrived in large numbers and proceeded to jack up and remove numerous vehicles from Matawalle’s house. These vehicles were subsequently taken to the police station located in Maradun town.

According to Ahmed, the security agents wasted no time upon their arrival in Maradun. They swiftly made their way to the former governor’s residence and immediately began the process of evacuating the vehicles. The security personnel, mostly dressed in police uniforms, forcefully opened the gate of the house and conducted their operation, taking multiple vehicles with them to the local police station.

“I counted 15 vehicles that were removed from the house and taken to the police station”.