By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA—A former National Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and Zamfara North senatorial aspirant, Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has demanded a full account of the Zamfara State Gold Reserve Initiative launched under former Governor Bello Matawalle, seeking details of the quantity of gold acquired, where it is being held, and what was handed over to Governor Dauda Lawal in 2023.
The demand has renewed scrutiny of the state-backed gold reserve unveiled before former President Muhammadu Buhari, with questions being raised about its current status, transactions conducted during a federal mining ban, and whether the assets were reflected in official handover records.
The concerns were contained in a statement signed by Shinkafi on behalf of Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development.
“It is curious that three years after Bello Matawalle left office as governor of Zamfara State, nothing has been heard of his administration’s well-publicised Gold Reserve Initiative,” the statement said.
The initiative drew national attention in October 2020 when Matawalle presented 31 kilograms of gold and precious stones to then President Buhari, saying the reserve had been acquired to strengthen Zamfara’s financial base.
The group said the current value of the 31 kilograms of gold is estimated at about N5.95 billion.
Shinkafi demanded details of the quantity and value of gold acquired under the initiative, where it was kept, whether it was transferred to the succeeding administration, and the miners, companies and licences linked to the purchases.
A major plank of the challenge centres on the Federal Government’s suspension of mining activities in Zamfara between 2019 and 2025 as part of efforts to tackle insecurity and illegal mining.
“The Federal Government and security experts agreed that illegal mining of gold was one of the root causes of over a decade armed banditry in Zamfara State,” Shinkafi said.
Against that backdrop, the group questioned how the government sourced gold from local miners while mining activities were officially suspended.
“In view of the Federal Government’s suspension of solid minerals mining from 2019 to 2025, who approved then Governor Bello Matawalle government’s engagement in gold trade which he claimed he bought from local miners?” the statement asked.
The group gave the Zamfara State Government 14 days to publish the handover notes and transition committee report relating to the initiative, warning that failure to do so would prompt petitions to the EFCC, ICPC, NFIU and the Office of the National Security Adviser.
“We call on the current Zamfara State Government to publicly publish the handover note and transition committee report where gold purchased by Matawalle’s administration were stated and where the Zamfara State Gold Reserve Initiative is kept
“Take notice that failure to publish the said documents within 14 days, we will be left with no option but to report same to the EFCC, ICPC, NFIU and NSA to thoroughly investigate the legality or otherwise of the Bello Matawalle government’s engagement in solid minerals at the time the Federal Government had suspended mining activities in Zamfara State,” Shinkafi said.
