The Court of Appeal in Sokoto has supported the Federal High Court’s ruling that former Zamfara State Governor and current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, cannot claim the government vehicles he took after losing the 2023 elections as his personal property.
In June 2023, the police raided Matawalle’s residence following a complaint from the Zamfara State Government and recovered more than 40 official vehicles that he and his cabinet had taken before leaving office on May 29, 2023.
Sulaiman Bala Idris, spokesperson for the Zamfara Governor, said a three-member panel of the Appeal Court, led by Hon. Justice A.M. Talba, unanimously rejected Matawalle’s appeal on August 8, 2025.
The Appeal Court, in the case of Bello Muhammed Matawalle vs Nigeria Police & Others (Appeal No. CS//S/2024), ruled that the Federal High Court was right to confirm that the police have the authority to investigate complaints of criminal activity.
The court also found that Matawalle failed to provide sufficient proof that he personally owned the 40 vehicles, meaning his claim that his property rights were violated was unfounded.
The Zamfara State Government had given Matawalle and his deputy five working days in June 2023 to return the vehicles, but their efforts to retrieve the cars failed, prompting the government to seek a court order. The police eventually recovered the vehicles.
Matawalle initially took the case to the Federal High Court in Gusau, where he sought to have the cars returned and to enforce his fundamental right to property. The state government requested that the case be transferred to the Sokoto division.
In December 2023, the Federal High Court in Sokoto dismissed Matawalle’s case, ruling that the vehicles remain government property.
Dissatisfied, Matawalle appealed, but the Appeal Court fully upheld the Federal High Court’s decision. It confirmed that the police acted within their powers to investigate, and the state government’s process in retrieving the vehicles followed legal procedures.
The court concluded that Matawalle’s fundamental rights were not violated, and he cannot use them to avoid investigation or prosecution.
