Arewa Youth Leader Rejects $50,000 Offer to Blackmail Defence Minister Matawalle
From Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna
One of the prominent leaders of the Arewa Youth and a key figure in the “End Bad Governance” protests in Nigeria, Ambassador Abdul Danbature, has revealed that he was offered $50,000 to blackmail the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle. He firmly rejected the offer.
Danbature, who serves as the Speaker of the Arewa Youth Assembly for Good Leadership (AYAGL), stated that the offer came from a foreign source, conveyed through a local agent in Nigeria.
According to him, the proposition involved a campaign of continuous attacks over a period of two months and two weeks. This would include holding press conferences and issuing press releases aimed at tarnishing the reputation of Bello Matawalle.
“They offered me $50,000 to blackmail the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, with the intent of damaging his image and his strong working relationship with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the good people of Zamfara State,” Danbature disclosed.
He further revealed that the same amount was allegedly offered to notorious terrorist kingpin Bello Turji, who recently appeared in a viral video making baseless allegations against the Minister.
Ambassador Danbature emphasized that the youths he represents are dedicated to good governance and leadership. He declared that they would not accept any form of gratification to slander or blackmail any government official, individual, or organization.
He said he felt compelled to speak out against individuals who seek to tarnish the reputations of others for political gain, urging youths to be vigilant and resist such manipulations.
“For me, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, is a good man who gave his best as Governor of Zamfara State and is currently playing a significant role in stabilizing the security situation in the country.
“I therefore wish to use this medium to state clearly that neither I nor our group can be used to malign anyone in an attempt to settle political scores,” he stressed.
