Matawalle mistakenly said not all Bandits are Criminals – Aide

Zailani Bappa, media aide to Zamafara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, has come out to clarify his principal’s statement that “not all bandits are criminals.”

He noted that his principal did not intend to say that all bandits are not criminals.

Matawalle on Thursday speaking with reporters after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock villa had said that not all bandits are criminals.

This comment sparked a heated debate, with the governor getting knocks from various quarters.

Reacting to this in a statement released on Friday, Bappa said if Matawalle used the word “bandits,” it must have been a mistake as he called on Nigerians to disregard the reported comments.

“Indeed, His Excellency was at the Presidential villa yesterday to brief Mr President on the security situation in the state. He also granted a short interview with the press crew at the villa,” he said.

“If indeed he mentioned the word BANDITS instead of FULANI, then it was an inadvertent mistake as common sense dictates that banditry cannot at any time be justified as a non-criminality.

“We wish to call on all Nigerians who come across this story to disregard the message as that is not at all what His Excellency meant to say nor the kind of message he wanted to portray.”