The Zamfara State Government has accused the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, of allegedly using the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to intimidate opposition figures in the state.

In a statement released Wednesday by Sulaiman Bala Idris, spokesperson for Governor Bello Matawalle, the state government claimed that Saleem Abubakar, a technical assistant to the Zamfara governor, was abducted in Abuja on Monday by operatives linked to the NSA. According to the statement, Abubakar was moved between multiple locations without an arrest warrant, in what the state described as an effort to conceal his whereabouts.

“The most unfortunate and worrying aspect of this incident is that the abduction of Saleem Abubakar was allegedly syndicated through the office of the NSA by the Minister of State for Defence,” the statement said, calling the alleged actions a dangerous abuse of power and a threat to democratic norms.

The government warned that such incidents could damage Nigeria’s democratic credentials and urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene, calling for the NSA’s office to be restrained from political interference. It stressed that any allegations against Abubakar should be addressed through due process in court, rather than through what it described as an illegal abduction.

“We are closely monitoring this case of federal impunity and will follow it to its logical conclusion to ensure that justice is served,” the statement concluded.