A Katsina man has been charged with a treasonable felony over allegations that he destroyed President Bola Tinubu’s campaign billboards.
A treasonable felony is one of the most serious offences under Nigerian law, and the development has raised eyebrows across Nigeria’s legal and political circles.
Aminu Sanda, popularly known as Nesta, was first invited by the Katsina police and then transferred to Force Headquarters in Abuja. Later, a magistrate court in Jiwa, FCT, remanded him. 
Beyond the billboard vandalism, he is also accused of breaking into the Katsina APC secretariat and stealing N35 million. However, Sanda has denied every allegation.
“How can I, being the state chairman of Dikko/Tinubu Vanguard, a political support group for the president, turn around to pull down his billboards? It does not make sense.”
His legal team has also challenged the charges. They are insisting that such serious allegations must have credible evidence that supports them. The team also insists that there be proper legal process, instead of a prolonged detention while investigations continue.
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Reactions of Legal Practitioners
Legal practitioners have not hidden their surprise at the height of the charge.
One of Sanda’s associates has alleged that the police are being used by certain politicians to target individuals perceived as political opponents. The associate questioned the severity of the charge, asking: “This is becoming a case of political persecution. How does pulling down campaign billboards translate into treasonable felony?”
A human rights lawyer, Hameed Ajibola Jimoh, called it “shocking” that removing a billboard could amount to a treasonable felony.
Another lawyer, Abdurrahman Salis, pointed out to Daily Trust that treasonable felony under Nigerian law involves far more grave acts. He says it involves acts like intending to unlawfully remove the president or a governor, waging war against the state, or instigating an armed invasion.
“Pulling down a presidential billboard does not qualify as a treasonable felony under our laws,” Salis stated.
The same billboard controversy earlier led to the invitation of two of the governor’s top security aides to force headquarters for questioning. What began as alleged vandalism of political materials has now escalated into a high-stakes legal drama with treason-level charges.
The court is set to rule on Sanda’s bail application on 15 September. For now, however, a man who claims to be a supporter of the President sits in custody facing one of the gravest accusations in the criminal code over the alleged destruction of billboards.
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