His name is Nuru Aliyu Garwa, a former Senior Special Adviser on Community Development, pls note that, on Community Development to the Katsina State Governor.
He recently resigned in order to contest in the House of Assembly to represent his people.
As reported, on May 13th, an eight year old boy was abducted while coming home from a Quranic School, his family were contacted and a ransom of 50 million was requested by the bandits or kidnappers.
The price was negotiated and brought down to 17 Million which was paid. After this, the family reached out to a security outfit known as Violent Crime Response Unit in Katsina State.
The Unit swung into action and started their investigation. The investigation led to the arrest of 6 of the bandits on the 23rd of May.
This arrest of the six led to the arrest of the other member and boss, Nuru Aliyu Garwa, the former SSA on Community Development to the Governor on the 24th of May.
In his house they found 7.5 million in a Ghana must go bag which the Security Unit believed is his own share of the ransom, they also found the bike used in operations and some other items.
MY REFLECTION
Now, what this story, if true, says about Nigeria, is deeply troubling and complex.
When individuals who once occupied positions connected to government, community leadership, or public trust are allegedly linked to kidnapping networks, it shows that insecurity is no longer just an “outside criminal problem.” In some cases, it may have penetrated social, political, and economic structures themselves. That is what makes the situation so confounding and difficult.
It also highlights several painful realities:
■Poverty, ■unemployment, ■greed, and ■collapse of values are feeding criminality.
Some criminal networks appear organized, connected, and embedded within communities.
Trust is eroding — because people no longer know who is genuinely protecting society and who may secretly be exploiting it.
Security challenges cannot be solved overnight, especially when insiders or influential actors are allegedly involved.
At the same time, the fact that the Violent Crime Response Unit reportedly investigated, tracked, and arrested suspects is also important. It suggests that functional intelligence-led policing and security operations can still work when there is commitment and coordination.
For leaders like our Head-of-State, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all other Governments, fixing insecurity in Nigeria requires more than military force alone.
It involves:
■rebuilding institutions,
■reducing corruption,
■creating economic opportunities,
■strengthening intelligence systems,
■restoring moral/community values,
and
■ensuring justice is swift and credible.
So yes — cases like this show why many Nigerians feel frustrated, shocked, and overwhelmed by insecurity. But they also reveal why the problem is structurally deep and can not realistically disappear overnight, even though citizens rightly expect urgent and visible progress. It is not just about bandits in the bush. It’s about how easily criminal networks embed themselves in political and community structures when accountability is weak and how that makes insecurity self-reinforcing. Fixing it means vetting, internal discipline, and making sure security agencies can actually investigate up the chain without interference – not just arresting foot soldiers.
richardODUSANYA
