Lawmaker, Ex-LG Chair, District Head in Police Custody Over Kidnapping Allegations

Zamfara State is reeling from a high-profile scandal as Aminu Ibrahim, a member of the Zamfara State House of Assembly representing Kaura Namoda Constituency, is now in police custody. The lawmaker faces serious allegations of involvement in banditry and kidnapping.

In an exclusive interview, the state’s Commissioner of Police, CP Muhammad Shehu Dalijan, confirmed Ibrahim’s arrest. The police chief also revealed that Alhaji Jafaru Abdullahi Kumburki, the District Head of Kaura Namoda, and Nasiru Muhammad, a former chairman of the LGA, are being detained on similar charges.

Dalijan disclosed that preliminary investigations indicate Kumburki, alongside two suspected bandit collaborators, Alhaji Bala and Hali Sidi, orchestrated the kidnapping of nine individuals in Gidan Sambo village. The suspects reportedly demanded an N800,000 ransom for their release.

Furthermore, Ibrahim is accused of involvement in the kidnapping of 80-year-old Alhaji Ibrahim Sarkin Fada from Kasuwar Daji village. The former LGA chairman is alleged to have collaborated with Sidi and Bala to abduct Alhaji Ango from Kumurya village.

The investigation has extended to three other district heads from Danjibga, Bukkuyum, and Unguwar Gyauro in Tsafe and Bukkuyum LGAs. These officials are under scrutiny by a state government investigative panel.

Governor Dauda Lawal has responded by setting up a panel led by Alhaji Ahmad Garba Yandi, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. Yandi confirmed that the panel is actively questioning the implicated district heads and aims to deliver its findings within two weeks.

Hon. Bello Mazawaje, the Majority Leader of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, acknowledged the investigation but refrained from further comments.