According to the state government, Abubakar was taken to undisclosed locations following his arrest.
Saleem Abubakar, a technical assistant to Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal Abubakar, has been released on bail following his arrest in Abuja.
According to security analyst Zagazola Makama, the case involving Abubakar has been adjourned to February 9, 2025, for further proceedings.
Abubakar’s release comes amid earlier allegations by the Zamfara State Government that one of its officials had been abducted in the Federal Capital Territory under questionable circumstances. The state government had accused federal security operatives of being deployed to harass and intimidate opposition figures in the state.
In a statement issued at the time, the state government alleged that the operation was politically motivated and orchestrated by the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, describing the development as troubling.
“We received a shocking and distressing message that Saleem Abubakar, a technical assistant in the office of the Zamfara State Governor, was abducted in Abuja yesterday,” Sulaimon Idris, the spokesperson for the state governor, said.
The government further claimed that the alleged abduction was carried out without an arrest warrant and involved a special security unit said to be operating from the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
“The illegal abduction was said to be carried out by a special forces unit from the office of the National Security Adviser,” the statement alleged.
It added, “The most unfortunate and worrying part of the abduction of Saleem Abubakar is that it was syndicated through the office of the NSA by the state minister for defence, Bello Matawalle.”
According to the state government, Abubakar was taken to undisclosed locations following his arrest.
“The abductors, without an arrest warrant, took Saleem to an unknown location, which we later found out they moved him from to different facilities to cover their tracks,” the statement said.
Describing the incident as a dangerous precedent, the Zamfara State Government warned that such actions, if left unchecked, could undermine the neutrality and professionalism of Nigeria’s security architecture.
“This is a perilous precedent that all Nigerians must strongly condemn. No amount of desperation is worth compromising the neutrality of the security agencies,” the government said.
As of the time of this report, federal security agencies and the Office of the National Security Adviser have not publicly responded to the allegations, while Abubakar’s case is expected to resume when proceedings continue on February 9, 2025.