Bashir Saidu, the ex-Chief of Staff to the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has been arrested by Operation Fushin Kada, formerly known as Operation Yaki in the state.
Saidu, a prominent political ally of El-Rufai, was arrested on Tuesday by operatives of the anti-banditry police outfit on the outskirts of the state.
The reason for his arrest has not been made public, but there are claims that he is being held in connection with money laundering.
Sources close to the politician however alleged that the arrest was politically motivated because the agency was acting on orders to harrass El-rufai's allies in the state.
A former commissioner under El-Rufai's government, who pleaded for anonymity, confirmed the arrest, saying he learnt Bashir had been remanded in the state's correctional facility.
"It is very true that he was arrested on Tuesday by the operatives and is now in a correctional facility. Is this the kind of democracy they want to play by using the Operation Yaki outfit to detain political opponents?" the source said.
He further described the arrest as politically motivated, saying most of those considered to be El-Rufai's political allies were facing charges at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, EFCC, or ICPC.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Mansir Hassan, couldn't be reached as calls to his phone were unanswered.
Similarly, Governor Uba Sani's Chief Press Secretary, Ibraheem Musa, could not be reached and had yet to reply to the text message sent to him.
However, a security source privy to the information said that by the combined provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Police Act, the Nigeria Police Force was established to primarily protect the lives and properties of Nigerian citizens, including public funds.
He said, "For this reason, it is not out of place for any police officer to carry out an arrest, investigate, and prosecute anyone accused of committing any offence, with or without a formal complaint, provided a prima facie case is established against the accused.
"So, to say that the arrest of Alhaji Bashir Sa'idu by Operation Fushin Kada, formerly Operation Yaki, which was established to hunt down bandits and other criminal elements, is now being used to harass political opponents, is not just preposterous but a red herring to divert the weighty allegations against the accused," he said.
