Court Mandates The Return Of The Cars That Matawalle Seized
Court orders that the former governor of Zamfara, Matawalle, return 50 official vehicles
A lawsuit brought by Bello Matawalle, the governor of Zamfara State's immediate past, over the ownership of around fifty automobiles purportedly owned by the state government of Zamfara, was dismissed by a Federal High Court sitting in Sokoto, Sokoto State.
Remember that the Zamfara State Police Command, per the court's order, had searched the homes of the former governor Matawalle in June and seized government cars that he had removed during his resignation as governor of the State on May 29, 2023.
According to a statement released on Monday by Sulaiman Bala Idris, the governor of Zamfara State's spokesperson, Matawalle's claims to ownership of the in question official cars were denied by the Federal High Court's Sokoto division.
The statement stated that the current administration had nothing to drive since the prior governor and his cabinet members had seized all state-owned official vehicles.
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.
“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.”
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