A Katsina resident, Aminu Sanda, popularly known as Aminu Nasta, has reportedly been detained and charged with treasonable felony following allegations that he destroyed campaign billboards bearing the images of President Bola Tinubu in the state.
Sanda was initially invited by the police in Katsina and later detained over allegations that he pulled down Tinubu’s campaign billboards and broke into the Katsina State Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC), where he was accused of stealing N35 million.
However, Sanda has denied the allegations, including claims that he vandalised Tinubu’s billboards and broke into the APC secretariat.
“How can I, being the state chairman of Dikko/Tinubu Vanguard, a political support group for the President, turn around to pull down his billboards? It does not make sense,” Sanda was quoted as saying.
He has maintained that he was not involved in the alleged offences and described the accusations as unfounded.
His legal team has also challenged the allegations, arguing that the serious charges against him should be supported by credible evidence and established through due process.
Sanda was later transferred to the Force Headquarters in Abuja and subsequently remanded by a Magistrate Court sitting in Jiwa, Abuja, on charges reportedly including treasonable felony.
The case has raised concerns among his associates and lawyers, particularly over the use of a treasonable-felony charge in connection with the alleged destruction of political campaign billboards.
The police had initially approached the Magistrate Court through a motion ex parte seeking an order to remand Sanda for two weeks to enable further investigation into the allegations.
When his lawyers appeared in court on Tuesday to seek his bail, the police reportedly filed an application seeking another two-week extension of his remand, citing the need for additional time to complete their investigation.
The Magistrate, Huzaifa Macchudo, subsequently reserved ruling on the bail application.
Sanda’s lawyers expressed concern that the decision could allow the police to obtain an extension of the remand while their client remains in custody.
One of Sanda’s associates alleged that the police were being used by politicians to intimidate individuals perceived to be opposed to them.
The associate questioned why the alleged destruction of campaign billboards should attract a charge as serious as treasonable felony.
“This is becoming a case of political persecution. How does pulling down campaign billboards translate into treasonable felony?” the associate asked.
A lawyer familiar with the matter also questioned Sanda’s continued detention, arguing that the police should complete their investigation and, if sufficient evidence exists, prosecute him before a court with the appropriate jurisdiction rather than repeatedly seeking remand orders from a Magistrate Court.
The lawyer said the repeated requests for additional time to investigate raised questions about the police’s readiness to prosecute the case.
The development comes amid reported political tensions within the Katsina chapter of the APC, with other reports linking the billboard controversy to disagreements involving Governor Dikko Radda and Ibrahim Masari, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Political Affairs. Sanda had previously been identified in reports as a political group leader in Katsina and was reportedly arrested in connection with the billboard incident.
When contacted for comment, the Force Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, reportedly said he was not aware of the incident and requested further details to enable him contact the appropriate unit.
Sanda’s lawyers are now challenging the police application for a further two-week remand while awaiting the Magistrate’s ruling on his bail application.
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