Gov Radda’s aide arrested for kidnapping
By Abubakar Ahmed, Katsina
The immediate past Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dikko Radda on Community Development Programme, Nura Aliyu, has been arrested by the police in Katsina for allegedly leading a kidnap gang in the abduction of an 8 year-old school boy and collecting N17 million ransom.
A statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, says Aliyu was nabbed alongside five other members of the syndicate in Katsina metropolis while the seventh accomplice is still at large.
The victim, according to the statement, was abducted by the suspects on May 13, 2026, at about 6:00 in the evening while he was returning from an Islamiyya school.
After the abduction, the suspects contacted the victim’s family and initially demanded N50 million as ransom before both parties arrived at N17 million which was paid to secure the minor’s release.
“Upon receipt of the report, operatives of the newly established Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) of the command swung into action. Acting on credible intelligence, operatives tracked and arrested six members of the syndicate today, May 23rd, 2026.
“Those arrested are: Nura Aliyu, age 39, identified as the mastermind and a neighbour to the victim’s family; Abubakar Aminu, age 37; Ibrahim Muhammad, age 51; Iliyasu Sani, age 51; Abubakar Muhammad, age 27, and Abdullahi Isma’il, age 30.”
Among items recovered from the syndicate’s hideout was N7.5 million in cash, one Peugeot 307 and a motorcycle.
That upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime and identified one other whose name was simply given as ‘Abdul’ as the seventh gang member that is still at large.
It says the suspects will be charged to court, noting that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fleeing accomplice while assuring people of the state of the command’s readiness to tackle kidnapping and other violent crimes.
Meanwhile, multiple soures say Nura Aliyu resigned his appointment to run for the Katsina State House of Assembly seat to represent Batsari Constituency.
However, the state government maintained that Aliyu was sacked earlier by the government after he allegedly diverted empowerment materials meant for communities in Batsari, an area that is still recovering from the aftermath of armed bandity.
In a statement, the state Commissioner of Information, Dr. Bala Zango, clarified that Nura’s exit from the government was a result of being sacked over his involvement in corruption, rather than resigning to run for the legislative seat.
“Nura Aliyu Garwa was suspended by the State Government for his involvement in the diversion of empowerment materials meant for distribution to communities in Batsari Local Government, under the state government’s Community Development Program.
“Governor Dikko Umaru Radda described the activities of the gang as unfortunate, particularly as it involves a high profile individual who even contested for the position of a member, state House of Assembly.
“Radda commends the state Police Command and other security agencies for their commitment to securing the state and calls on members of the public to support these efforts by reporting suspicious persons to security agencies”, the statement added.
Meanwhile, Nura Aliyu’s ambition of becoming a state lawmaker was not successful as he, alongside five other contestants, were dropped from the concensus arrangement adopted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries in the state.
