The Court of Appeal in Sokoto has dismissed Bello Matawalle’s challenge over seized official vehicles.
Judges upheld police authority, ruling the former Zamfara governor failed to prove ownership of the cars.
The Court of Appeal in Sokoto has affirmed the decision of the Federal High Court dismissing an appeal filed by former Zamfara governor and current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, over ownership of official vehicles he took after losing the 2023 elections.
In June 2023, following a complaint by the Zamfara State Government, police raided Matawalle’s residence and recovered more than 40 vehicles allegedly removed by him and his cabinet before handing over power on May 29, 2023.
A statement from the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, confirmed that a three-man panel of the appellate court, led by Justice A.M. Talba, unanimously dismissed Matawalle’s appeal on August 8, 2025. The court held that the earlier judgment of the Federal High Court, Sokoto Division, which upheld the right of the police to investigate allegations of crime, was correct.
The court further ruled that Matawalle failed to present credible evidence proving ownership of the vehicles, noting that his claim of a breach of fundamental rights to property could not stand without proof.
According to the Zamfara government, several attempts were made to recover the vehicles in 2023, but when they failed, the state sought a court order that led to the police recovery. Although Matawalle initially secured an order from the Federal High Court in Gusau directing that the cars be returned to him, the matter was later transferred to Sokoto where the case was dismissed in December 2023.
Unhappy with that decision, Matawalle went to the Appeal Court, but the panel upheld the ruling in its entirety, declaring that the recovery process followed due process and did not violate his rights. The judgment also reaffirmed the police’s authority to investigate criminal complaints.
