BOGOTA, March 12 (Reuters) - A governor of a northern Colombian province on Monday became the latest target of a probe that has tied several allies of President Alvaro Uribe to right-wing paramilitaries accused of massacres and atrocities.

Colombian prosecutors have ordered Magdalena province Gov. Trino Luna arrested on suspicion he colluded with the illegal militias who once fought a dirty war against the country's four-decade-old rebel insurgency.

The governor joins eight pro-Uribe lawmakers and a former security police chief who have been arrested on charges they cooperated with the illegal paramilitaries whose commanders have now been jailed after a peace deal with the government.

"There is an order for the capture of Magdalena's governor on suspicion of colluding to commit a crime," an Attorney General's office spokesman said.

Aided by billions of dollars in U.S. assistance, Uribe has reduced violence, driven guerrillas back into the jungles and disarmed 31,000 paramilitaries in a deal offering commanders short prison terms for giving up the gun and confessing.

Uribe says the probes are the result of his security policies and show how Colombia's judicial institutions are working as they never did before. But U.S. Democrats concerned about human rights want more guarantees as they debate a White House request for more aid and a trade deal for Colombia.

Luna, elected in 2003, was the only candidate who ran for the governorship. Other hopefuls later charged they had been pressured not to run and threatened by paramilitary commanders.

The governor told local radio that he would temporarily step down to allow the local government to continue working during the investigation. The president must suspend Luna from his post before the governor can be arrested.

The scandal broke after investigators began probing militia commanders who have started testifying about crimes. Luna's name appeared in the files of a laptop computer belonging to the assistant of one top former commander.

Rights groups often charged the paramilitaries colluded with local politicians and military commanders and the militia bosses boasted about their sway in Colombia's congress. But the investigations could reveal the depth of their influence.

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