Katsina APC Rift Deepens As Radda’s Security Aides Detained In Abuja

The political crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Katsina State has taken a new dimension following the reported detention of Governor Dikko Umaru Radda’s Aide-de-Camp (ADC) and Chief Security Officer (CSO) at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

The two officers have reportedly been in police custody since Thursday, 20 August 2026, according to multiple sources familiar with the development.

The development comes amid growing tensions between political camps loyal to Governor Radda and those associated with Ibrahim Kabir Masari, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Political Matters, as competing factions manoeuvre for political influence ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Sources revealed that the reported detention followed the withdrawal of security personnel attached to the governor, a development political observers believe could further deepen the power struggle within the Katsina APC.

The immediate trigger of the latest dispute is believed to be the destruction of Masari’s campaign billboards by suspected miscreants in Katsina.

Some political actors reportedly attributed the destruction of the billboards at Modoji roundabout to the governor’s CSO and ADC, allegations that have not been independently established and have not resulted in any publicly announced criminal charges against either officer.

The allegations, however, are said to have heightened tensions between the two political camps.

The reported detention has also generated an unusual atmosphere of caution within sections of the Katsina media community.

The ADC has reportedly had disagreements with some journalists in the state on previous occasions, although the specific circumstances of those encounters have varied.

Against that background, the latest development has attracted particular attention among journalists and media practitioners familiar with the governor’s security aides.

However, when information about the reported arrest was circulated to media practitioners in the state, there was apparently no immediate coordinated response from the media organisations contacted.

The silence has raised questions about the difficulty journalists may face in independently verifying sensitive security-related developments involving senior government officials and security personnel.

Rather than immediately reporting the claim as an established arrest, several media practitioners appeared cautious in the absence of an official confirmation from the police or the Katsina State Government.

That caution became more significant following a statement from the police which disputed the characterisation of the development as an arrest or detention.

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, told journalists that the governor’s ADC and CSO were invited to Abuja by Inspector-General of Police, IGP Tunji Disu, for questioning over issues originating from Katsina State.

He said the officers were not invited over any alleged criminal offence and that preliminary investigations had established that neither officer had committed a crime. The police position, therefore, contrasts with accounts from multiple sources that the two officers have remained at Force Headquarters since 20 August.

According to some media reports, sources alleged that the action followed directives from the Inspector-General of Police, in response to complaints linked to influential political interests within the APC.

The publication said it could not independently verify the origin of the alleged directive.

The Katsina State Government has yet to clarify the matter publicly. Maiwada Dammallam, Director-General of the Media Directorate at the Katsina Government House, as well as the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ibrahim Kaula Muhammad, were contacted for the government’s position but declined to comment as of the time of filing this report.

The controversy has consequently produced two competing narratives: while sources describe the situation as the detention of two key security aides to the governor, the police maintain that the officers were invited for questioning and were not arrested.

Beyond the immediate issue of the two officers, the episode has exposed the growing political tensions within the Katsina APC.

The dispute is believed to involve competing interests around Governor Radda and Masari, with disagreements reportedly extending to control of political structures and mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.

Political actors who linked the destruction of Masari’s campaign materials to the governor’s security aides have not publicly provided evidence establishing the alleged connection. At the same time, the officers themselves have not been publicly charged with any offence.