Radda’s Ex-Aide Arrested for Allegedly Masterminding Abduction of Eight-year-old Child

Francis Sardauna in Katsina 

Former Senior Special Assistant to Katsina State Governor on Community Development Programme (CDP), Nura Aliyu, has been arrested by operatives of the Katsina State Police Command for allegedly masterminding the abduction of an eight-year-old boy.

Aliyu, 39, according to a statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, was nabbed alongside five other suspects for allegedly plotting the kidnapping of the victim.

Although the police spokesperson did not mention in the statement whether Aliyu served as a senior special assistant to Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, investigations revealed that he previously held the position before resigning to contest for Batsari Constituency seat in the Katsina State House of Assembly.

The police public relations officer explained that the victim was abducted by the syndicate on May 13, 2026, at about 6:00 p.m. while returning from an Islamic school.

He said the suspects contacted the family the following day and demanded N50 million ransom, but after negotiations, N17 million was paid to secure the release of the victim.

The Katsina police spokesman noted that N7.5 million being part of the N17 million ransom, one Peugeot 307 and Boxer motorcycle, among others, were recovered from the suspects as exhibits during investigation.

According to him, the suspects confessed to committing the offence during interrogation and mentioned one Abdul, currently at large, as their accomplice.

Aliyu, in the statement, said: “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.”

While noting that efforts are underway to apprehend the fleeing suspect, Aliyu said the state Commissioner of Police, Ali Umar Fage, commended the operatives for carrying out what he described as a swift operation.

He reiterated the command’s commitment to tackling kidnapping and other violent crimes, while noting that the suspects will be charged to court after investigation.