Police keep mum as 14 suspects accused of att∆cking APC convoy are secretly released
Police keep mum as 14 suspects accused of attacking APC convoy are secretly released
The 14 suspects arrested by the police for allegedly attacking a convoy of All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters in Katsina state have been released without being charged to court, TheCable has learnt.
TheCable understands that the suspects were released following an alleged intervention by an aide to President Bola Tinubu, raising questions over possible interference in the investigation.
The Katsina state police command had announced their arrest on October 29, 2026, following an attack on APC supporters travelling to Funtua for the flag-off of the 2027 election campaign for Tinubu and Dikko Radda, the state governor.
However, in a sudden twist, all 14 suspects were reportedly released without prosecution.
TheCable contacted Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, spokesperson of the Katsina police command, for clarification on the circumstances surrounding their release, particularly the alleged involvement of the presidential aide, but he declined to comment.
It remains unclear on what grounds the suspects were released or whether the police investigation has been discontinued.
The attack occurred on October 28, 2026, at about 11am along the Yashi-Funtua road in Malumfashi local government area, as APC supporters were travelling to Funtua for the campaign flag-off.
According to a statement issued the following day by Aliyu, suspected political thugs armed with knives and stones attacked the convoy and passing commercial vehicles.
The attackers smashed the windscreens of several vehicles and injured a female traveller in a commercial vehicle.
The police said officers deployed along the route intervened, restored order and arrested 14 suspects in connection with the violence.
The suspects were aged between 17 and 35, according to the police statement, which also disclosed that other suspects had fled the scene.
The command said efforts were being intensified to apprehend those still at large.
Ali Umar Fage, commissioner of police in Katsina, had condemned the attack and warned that the command would not tolerate political violence or activities capable of breaching public peace before, during or after the elections.
The police also announced that an investigation had commenced and promised to communicate further developments.
However, the reported release of all the suspects without arraignment, amid allegations of intervention from the presidency, has cast uncertainty over the status of the investigation.
There has been tension in the state chapter of the APC for months, with Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, special adviser on political affairs to the president, reportedly not on good terms with Radda.
