Bello Muhammad Matawalle, the Minister of Defence and former governor of Zamfara State, has taken his case to the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn the Federal High Court’s decision in Sokoto, which ordered the retrieval of 50 luxury vehicles from him.
Matawalle argues that the high court’s ruling constitutes a miscarriage of justice. The initial judgement supported the police command’s actions in recovering the vehicles from Matawalle’s residence shortly after he vacated the governor’s office.
In response, Matawalle, represented by his lawyer Dr. Ahmed Raji, SAN, challenged the “illegal” police invasion in the high court. Despite this, the recent ruling upheld the legitimacy of the vehicle recovery.
Expressing dissatisfaction, Dr. Raji filed an appeal on six grounds, contending that the judgement was a miscarriage of justice. He asserts that the high court erred in law by excluding crucial exhibits and supporting affidavits from the plaintiff.
Dr. Raji argues that the high court did not establish proof that a valid court order was presented to the occupants before the police seized the vehicles. In the appeal, he emphasizes the failure of the high court to adequately evaluate the evidence, leading to the dismissal of the applicant’s case.
Dr. Raji urges the Court of Appeal to consider these factors, claiming the decision is against the weight of evidence, and calls for the reversal of the high court’s judgement. As of now, no hearing date has been scheduled for the appeal.
