Letter appointing suspected terrorist Hadejia as SA was forged — Gov Lawal

The Governor of Zamfara State Mr Dauda Lawal has denied claims that he appointed Bashir Hadejia, a suspected terrorist and gunrunner, as a Special Adviser in his administration.

Hadejia was arrested on Monday last week over alleged treason and subversion against the state.

He was a special adviser to the current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle when he was the Governor of Zamfara State.

After his arrest, a letter dated October 27, 2023, purportedly signed by the Secretary to the Zamfara State Government, Mal Abubakar M. Nakwada, alleged that the state government offered an appointment to the suspected gunrunner made rounds online.

However, Governor Lawal dismissed the legitimacy of the letter during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, calling it a forgery.

“I did not appoint Hadejia as a Special Adviser,” Lawal stated firmly. He further questioned the authenticity of the letter, noting discrepancies in the heading and the date. “Whenever I appoint advisers, I usually inform the media. I challenge anybody to show me where we made that kind of statement,” he added.

In addition to addressing the appointment issue, the governor discussed the state’s security situation, noting significant improvements that have allowed farmers to return to their fields.

He stressed the government’s collaborative efforts with the National Security Adviser and the Ministry of Defence to tackle the long-standing insecurity challenges in the region.

“The issue of insecurity is something that we inherited for over a decade, and it is not something that we are going to solve overnight,” Lawal explained.

He highlighted the establishment of the Community Protection Guards (CPG) as part of their strategy to enhance security, stating that the measures taken have resulted in a notable decrease in violence and increased agricultural activity.

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