The arrest of Alhaji Bashir Hadejia, a former aide to the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, by security operatives has sparked outrage.
Some Nigerians, who reacted to the development, demanded answers from the authorities after videos and photos indicated that the suspect was connected to top government functionaries and politicians.
Hadejia, who was a special adviser to Matawalle when he was the Governor of Zamfara State, was arrested on Monday.
A search warrant issued to the Nigeria Police Force, FCT Police Command, dated August 12, 2024, showed that the suspect was accused of “treason and subversion against the state”.
Shortly after his arrest became public, photos and videos of the suspect with prominent politicians and celebrities emerged on social media.
A particular video clip on social media showed Hadejia displaying what appeared to be a gold bar with the image of a former Libyan leader, Muammar Ghadaffi.
In the 14-second video, he was heard saying, “One tonne, total 24 carats, 1kg. In each box we have 50kg; in total we have one tonne.”
There were about 13 boxes filled with the gold bars on the table. The boxes were labelled, “Central Bank of Libya”.
In a photo that has been trending since the arrest was made public, Hadejia accompanied Matawalle to present some gold bars to the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, in 2020.
Bashir Ahmad, an aide to Buhari, also shared photos showing Hadejia appearing to assist Matawalle in presenting the gold to the president.
The post read, “President Muhammadu Buhari last night at his residence, the State House, Abuja, received Governor of Zamfara State, Dr. Bello Matawalle accompanied by Alhaji Bashir Hadejia. Gov. Matawalle was at the State House to present some gold bars and other precious stones mined in his State. Describe the visuals.”
He was also seen in another picture having a handshake with President Bola Tinubu.
