05/12/2023
Court orders retrieval of govt vehicles taken away by former Zamfara governor
In June, the Zamfara State Police Command raided the former governor’s residences and seized some official vehicles as ordered by the court.
A Federal High Court in Sokoto has dismissed a suit filed by former Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle over ownership of more than official vehicles said to belong to the Zamfara State Government.
The vehicles were allegedly taken away by the former governor and his supporters before the handing over of power on Monday, May 29, 2023.
It would be recalled that in June, the Zamfara State Police Command raided the former governor’s residences and seized some official vehicles as ordered by the court.
Matawalle resisted the action and filed an objection at the Federal High Court, but according to Bala Idris, spokesperson of the Zamfara State Governor, the Sokoto division of the Federal High Court rejected Matawalle’s claims over the ownership of the official vehicles.
In a statement on Monday, December 4, 2023, Idris said the former governor and his cabinet members took away all official vehicles belonging to the state government and left the present administration with nothing to use.
The statement read in parts, “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.
“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.”
Idris said the Government of Zamfara State is committed to recovering all that rightfully belongs to the people through an all-encompassing rescue mission without leaving any stone unturned.
He added that the judgment by the Federal High Court would encourage the state government to ensure “justice prevails and all perpetrators of financial banditry in Zamfara are brought to book.”