A forgotten clip from 2021 has exploded online, dragging Nigeria's Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, back into the banditry firestorm.
On February 18, 2021, fresh from a Presidential Villa meeting with Muhammadu Buhari, Matawalle faced reporters in Abuja.
"Not all of them are criminals," he declared, blaming vigilante raids on Fulani settlements for pushing some to arm up in revenge.
Livestock seized, homes razed, many he claimed, grabbed guns only after such "injustices."
The words landed like a grenade in Zamfara, his terror-plagued state.
Hundreds already slain or snatched by bandits across the northwest.
Online fury erupted: "Oga governor, what's a bandit if not a criminal?" one commenter fumed on Linda Ikeji's blog.
Others seethed, "Fulani protection racket?", echoing whispers of ethnic favoritism.
By February 19, damage control kicked in.
Spokesman Zailani Bappa fired off a denial: Matawalle meant "not all Fulanis are criminals," not bandits.
A classic slip, he insisted, twisted by "mischievous" media.
Matawalle himself chimed in days later, owning the misquote but vowing zero tolerance.
Yet the sting lingered, fueling amnesty debates he championed.
Fast-forward to November 2025.
As Kebbi schoolgirls vanish and attacks rage, the video resurfaces on X threads roasting elite bandit sympathies.
Users link it to Matawalle's 2023 cabinet post, questioning: Can a defence chief who once pitied "avengers" truly crush them?
One viral post ties it to Sheik Gumi's pleas and Yerima's amnesty calls, painting a cozy nexus.
Critics whisper of failed deals, Matawalle's cash handouts allegedly backfired, per bandit lord Turji's taunts.
Victims' kin, still mourning, demand answers: Was it empathy or enabler?
In a nation bleeding from kidnaps, this ghost won't stay buried.
Matawalle's silence now? Deafening.
As northwest cries echo, one fact bites: Words from four years ago feel like yesterday's betrayal.
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