According to Mr. Sa'idu's family and lawyer, who disclosed this to the press, Abdulmalik Sa'idu who got an invitation call deceiving him that he had a message from the governor at the Katsina Government House on August 28.
Abdulmalik on getting to the governor's office was immediately arrested on disclosing his identity, handcuffed and taken to Batagarawa Police Station just outside Katsina. He was detained on the orders of Mr. Shema's aide-de-camp, Shehu Koko, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP.
According to his father, Maiyawo Sa'idu, while the young student was not charged with any offence, he was accused of cloning the governor's phone number and using same to call the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affair, Sani Makana, with instructions that Mr. Makana deposit N3 million in his account.
Mr. Sa'idu said his son was innocent. He said if indeed Abdulmalik cloned the governor's number to dupe a commissioner he wouldn't be tricked to come to the Government House to be arrested.
"I think they are trying to frame him. I know my son cannot clone the governor's number and call a commissioner to put three million into his account,"Mr. Sa'idu said.
He said Abdulmalik was arrested because he posted details of an alleged fertiliser scam by the governor on his Facebook page. Mr. Sa'idu said prior to his son's illegal detention, some officials of the state government had warned his son to desist from criticising the governor on Facebook.
On one occasion, the General Manager of Katsina State Road Maintenance Agency, Jamilu Umar, threatened to pay N2 million to thugs or policemen to kill Abdulmalik if he doesn't stop criticising the governor publicly, Mr. Saidu said.
Governor Shema's Chief Press Secretary, Sani Malumfashi, rejected repeated calls made to his mobile phone after he found out that the call was about Abdumalik's case.
The Sa'idus' case comes days after global rights group, Amnesty International, released a damning report accusing the Nigerian police of arbitrarily arresting, torturing and killing thousands of Nigerians without following legal process.
The report accused the police of running "torture chambers" where detainees are abused for money or for confessions.
The police dismissed the allegations as "falsehoods and innuendos" saying the Force does not tolerate torture and that where it occurs, officials responsible are sanctioned.
According report, Abdulmalik's arrest points to how widespread arbitrary arrests have remained even for the flimsiest of reasons. Many such arrests are effected on the directives of senior state officials, including governors.
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