Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A Katsina State resident, Aminu Sanda, popularly known as Nesta, has been detained and charged with treasonable felony following allegations that he destroyed campaign billboards belonging to President Bola Tinubu and broke into the state secretariat of the All Progressives Congress. Sanda, who was initially invited by the Katsina State Police Command, was accused of pulling down Tinubu's campaign billboards and allegedly breaking into the APC secretariat, where he was accused of stealing N35 million.
Sanda has vehemently denied all the allegations. He questioned why he would attack campaign materials belonging to President Tinubu when, according to him, he was a member of a political support group backing the President. "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," he was quoted as saying. He has maintained that he had no involvement in the alleged offences and described the accusations as unfounded.
Following his detention in Katsina, Sanda was transferred to the Force Headquarters in Abuja and subsequently remanded by a Magistrate's Court sitting in Jiwa, Abuja, over charges including treasonable felony. The police had initially approached the magistrate's court through a motion ex parte, seeking an order to keep Sanda in custody for two weeks to enable investigators to conclude their inquiry. However, when his lawyers appeared before the court on Tuesday to apply for his release on bail, the police filed another application seeking a further two-week remand.
The police reportedly argued that additional time was required to complete the investigation. Magistrate Huzaifa Macchudo subsequently reserved ruling on the bail application. Sanda's lawyers expressed concern that the decision could result in their client remaining in custody while the police pursue an extension of the remand order.
The case has attracted attention largely because of the treasonable felony allegation in a matter that, based on the accusations outlined against Sanda, involves political campaign billboards. An associate of the accused also alleged that the police were being influenced by politicians to target people perceived to be politically opposed to them. The associate questioned the legal basis for prosecuting Sanda for treasonable felony over the alleged destruction of campaign billboards. "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 similarly questioned the continued detention, arguing that investigators should either conclude their inquiry and prosecute Sanda if sufficient evidence exists or release him.
When contacted, the Force Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, said he was unaware of the matter and requested further details to enable him to contact the appropriate unit. The details were subsequently provided to him, while repeated calls and a text message seeking clarification reportedly went unanswered. Sanda remains in custody as his lawyers await the magistrate's ruling on his bail application and oppose the police request for a further two-week remand.
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