Bello Matawalle, not Ribadu responsible for arrest, detention of President Tinubu’s alleged lover – Sources

The Minister of State for Defence and former Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle Maradun was fingered in ordering the arrest and detention of Maryam Bukar, the alleged lover of President Bola Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

Maryam was said to have been in detention for over eight months now with her travails being kept secret.

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She was alleged to have had a romantic relationship with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to Daily Nigerian, sources said that Ms Bukar has allegedly been held at a military facility for eight months without access to her lawyers or family members. The sources further claimed that the detention was ordered by the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.

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The controversy gained traction after SaharaReporters first broke the news on February 19, 2026, alledged that the National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu was behind the detention of Maryam over an alleged intimate video call with President Bola Tinubu.

Security sources however exonerated the NSA, saying Ribadu had no knowledge of the arrest and detention of Ms Bukar.

“I can tell you authoritatively that the NSA has no knowledge of her arrest. Some government officials are name-dropping Ribadu in order to oppress people and cover their tracks,” one source said.

According to insiders, the screen recording of the alleged video call was taken before Mr Tinubu assumed office as president. The sources claimed that the Minister of State for Defence was displeased with Ms Bukar for allegedly posting the video online.

The sources further alleged that Mr Matawalle arranged her arrest through a special military squad.

They claimed that the manner of the arrest and detention mirrors previous instances in which the minister allegedly ordered the arrest of critics and political opponents from Zamfara State.

“Recall that Matawalle has at various times ordered arbitrary arrest and detention of his critics and political opponents from Zamfara State using his position as minister of state for Defence,” a source alleged.

Insiders also referenced the recent arrest of Saleem Abubakar, a technical aide to the Zamfara State governor.

“When Saleem Abubakar was arrested, even Zamfara State Government initially suspected Ribadu. But it later appeared that it was Matawalle,” the source claimed.

When contacted, the media aide to the minister, Ahmad Ibrahim Dan-Wudil, denied the allegations, insisting that his principal had no involvement in the matter.

“We’re not even aware of this, and we knew nothing about it,” Dan-Wudil told the aforementioned platform.

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