"
Incensed by the escape from Police custody of the Islamic sect, Boko Harams top operative, Kabir Sokoto, President Goodluck Jonathan Wednesday ordered the Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, to produce the suspect within 24 hours or be sacked.
This is coming as the man at the centre of the controversy, Biu, Borno State-born Commissioner of Police, Zakari Biu, who created room for the escape of the suspect, was placed under house arrest.
He was later brought to the Force Headquarters with his surbodinates where they have been detained since Wednesday morning.
The Permanent Secretary, Borno State Governors Lodge and other staff of the lodge have all been rounded up.
The Infrastructure News gathered that the IGP spent the whole of Tuesday waiting to see President Jonathan who had summoned him but was so enraged that he refused to see him preferring instead to deal with the Minister of Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade.
The IGP waited all day to see the president but was later told that the president was no longer going to see him. As at the time of filling this report, the IGP was still at the ministers office waiting to pick up the letter from the presidency.
The Force Headquarters had explained in a statement Tuesday that Kabir Sokoto escaped under police guard on the way to Abaji in Abuja to search his house whereupon they were attacked by angry youth, who overpowered the team thus paving the way for him to escape, a tale taken with a pinch of salt by discerning Nigerians.
Submitted by Abdullibnislam
Source: Dandalin Siyasa
XMAS Bombing Plotter Caught And Escaped. Is Jonathan To Blame
There was outrage on Tuesday over the escape of a Boko Haram suspect, Kabir Sokoto, from police custody.
Sokoto, the alleged mastermind of the Christmas Day bombing of Saint Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, at Abaji, escaped from Abaji, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory. Forty-three people died in the incident while 50 others sustained injuries.
Arrested at the Borno State Governors Lodge, Abuja, on Saturday, Sokoto was said to have escaped while being taken for a search of his apartment on Monday.
Sokoto, who was arrested alongside a serving military officer, was said to have been tracked to Abuja by security agents after several weeks of investigation. Investigations had linked the suspect to two sons of a powerful Northern traditional ruler said to be close to the corridors of power.
Sokoto was said to have travelled from Maiduguri, Borno State, to Abuja on his way to London but decided to stay overnight at the Borno State Governors Lodge, Abuja.
How the suspect escaped
The Force Headquarters said the commissioner in charge of the investigation, Zakari Biu, had been suspended for negligence, adding that he might be prosecuted if a criminal case was established against him and his team.
The CP was said to have ordered five policemen to accompany the suspect, but the officers were reportedly attacked and overwhelmed by suspected Boko Haram members.
A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olusola Amore, in Abuja, explained that Sokoto was handed over to Biu for further investigation and he consequently detailed his men to take the suspect to Abaji.
In the course of the further investigation, according to him, the escorts were attacked by suspected sect members and the suspect escaped.
Escape orchestrated
In its reaction, the Borno State Government demanded a probe into the escape. Commissioner of Information in the state, Mr. Inuwa Bwala, told one of our correspondents in Abuja on Tuesday that the whole arrest and escape saga appeared orchestrated to cast the state government in a bad light.
Bwala said, The arrest and escape of the suspect raises a lot of questions. Is it not possible that the suspect had other plans like eliminating Governor Kashim Shettima?
Is it not curious that such a high profile suspect was handled in a manner that enabled him to escape before investigations were completed?
It will do us all a world of good if those saddled with the responsibility of bringing those who breach the law to book establish the veracity of all claims and possible linkages.
Outrage over national embarrassment
The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, expressed shock at the escape and demanded that the police should produce the suspect within three days.
He said, I am shocked beyond words. But on second thought, I am not completely surprised because we have said it before and we will continue to say it that there are people in our security agencies that have other loyalties than they have to Nigeria.
I join millions of well-meaning Nigerians to demand that in the next three days at most, the security agencies should produce him.
He also urged the security agencies to investigate those directly involved in the escape.
We were told that there was a military officer with him when he escaped. What happened to this military officer? Where is the military man that was with him? Did that one also escape? That is another question that Nigerians are requesting an answer, he said.
The Director of Communication, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Fr. Raph Madu, blamed the police for the escape. He stated that it was unacceptable that such a high profile suspect could be allowed to escape from custody.
Madu, who was visibly angry, said that the issue had confirmed President Goodluck Jonathans allegation that Boko Haram had infiltrated the security service.
It is such a big shame to the police and the nation and it is part of what the President said that the government and the security service have been infiltrated by the Boko Haram. The Catholic Church calls for a thorough investigation into the matter because it is an affront to the country, he said.
Call for removal of IG
Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, called on the President to immediately sack the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim alleging that police authorities might have decided to release the suspect because he had implicated some highly placed Nigerians in his statement.
In a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, Falana said that the President must now know that there are Boko Haram sympathisers in his government.
He said it was unimaginable that the IGP, who ordered the arrest of the suspect in a military-style commando raid, could ask that he (the suspect) be escorted home by five policemen for a search.
Falana said, Whereas he was arrested by a full lorry load of armed policemen, he was taken out for a search by five policemen.
He was released in order to cover up the mastermind of the Boko Haram menace. The suspension of the CP by the IGP is diversionary because the IGP must have known that Biu was not the person to combat Boko Haram menace, which is very popular in his home state of Borno.
The IGP has refused to collaborate with the SSS in stamping out Boko Haram in the country. He should be relieved of his duty without further delay.
The lawyer threatened that if IGP was not removed he would report Jonathan to the Special Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
The Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, said that the suspects escape confirmed the Presidents fear of Boko Haram elements in his government.
He said, The President has said it that our security has been compromised and that there are many people in positions of authority who are members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect. It is a clear case of conspiracy.
People helped him to escape. It justifies what the Church has been saying; it is a deliberate effort by a group much larger than we think to destroy the church and if possible take over the state.
Also, the President of the Campaign for Democracy, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, described the suspects escape as a national embarrassment.
Okei-Odumakin said, It is a sign of a directionless government that cannot appreciate what the urgency of the moment is.
A government that cannot hold on to a bomb blast suspect showed its strength by deploying tanks and troops against unarmed protesters. It is a national embarrassment.
A former Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, also expressed outrage at the escape of Sokoto from Police custody.
He said the escape was a confirmation of Jonathans assertion that Boko Haram members had infiltrated his administration.
Tsav said, How did this happen? How can you arrest such a high profile suspect and let him escape? Its unbelievable.
When you arrest such a suspect, you handcuff him and in some countries you even put him in leg chains and provide adequate security before you take him anywhere.
I think there is complicity. The President should do something about the police. They should find out the kind of policemen that led him; are they from the same area? This is what should be established. Its a shame.
Incensed by the escape from Police custody of the Islamic sect, Boko Harams top operative, Kabir Sokoto, President Goodluck Jonathan Wednesday ordered the Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, to produce the suspect within 24 hours or be sacked.
This is coming as the man at the centre of the controversy, Biu, Borno State-born Commissioner of Police, Zakari Biu, who created room for the escape of the suspect, was placed under house arrest.
He was later brought to the Force Headquarters with his surbodinates where they have been detained since Wednesday morning.
The Permanent Secretary, Borno State Governors Lodge and other staff of the lodge have all been rounded up.
The Infrastructure News gathered that the IGP spent the whole of Tuesday waiting to see President Jonathan who had summoned him but was so enraged that he refused to see him preferring instead to deal with the Minister of Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade.
The IGP waited all day to see the president but was later told that the president was no longer going to see him. As at the time of filling this report, the IGP was still at the ministers office waiting to pick up the letter from the presidency.
The Force Headquarters had explained in a statement Tuesday that Kabir Sokoto escaped under police guard on the way to Abaji in Abuja to search his house whereupon they were attacked by angry youth, who overpowered the team thus paving the way for him to escape, a tale taken with a pinch of salt by discerning Nigerians.
Submitted by Abdullibnislam
Source: Dandalin Siyasa
XMAS Bombing Plotter Caught And Escaped. Is Jonathan To Blame
There was outrage on Tuesday over the escape of a Boko Haram suspect, Kabir Sokoto, from police custody.
Sokoto, the alleged mastermind of the Christmas Day bombing of Saint Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, at Abaji, escaped from Abaji, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory. Forty-three people died in the incident while 50 others sustained injuries.
Arrested at the Borno State Governors Lodge, Abuja, on Saturday, Sokoto was said to have escaped while being taken for a search of his apartment on Monday.
Sokoto, who was arrested alongside a serving military officer, was said to have been tracked to Abuja by security agents after several weeks of investigation. Investigations had linked the suspect to two sons of a powerful Northern traditional ruler said to be close to the corridors of power.
Sokoto was said to have travelled from Maiduguri, Borno State, to Abuja on his way to London but decided to stay overnight at the Borno State Governors Lodge, Abuja.
How the suspect escaped
The Force Headquarters said the commissioner in charge of the investigation, Zakari Biu, had been suspended for negligence, adding that he might be prosecuted if a criminal case was established against him and his team.
The CP was said to have ordered five policemen to accompany the suspect, but the officers were reportedly attacked and overwhelmed by suspected Boko Haram members.
A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olusola Amore, in Abuja, explained that Sokoto was handed over to Biu for further investigation and he consequently detailed his men to take the suspect to Abaji.
In the course of the further investigation, according to him, the escorts were attacked by suspected sect members and the suspect escaped.
Escape orchestrated
In its reaction, the Borno State Government demanded a probe into the escape. Commissioner of Information in the state, Mr. Inuwa Bwala, told one of our correspondents in Abuja on Tuesday that the whole arrest and escape saga appeared orchestrated to cast the state government in a bad light.
Bwala said, The arrest and escape of the suspect raises a lot of questions. Is it not possible that the suspect had other plans like eliminating Governor Kashim Shettima?
Is it not curious that such a high profile suspect was handled in a manner that enabled him to escape before investigations were completed?
It will do us all a world of good if those saddled with the responsibility of bringing those who breach the law to book establish the veracity of all claims and possible linkages.
Outrage over national embarrassment
The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, expressed shock at the escape and demanded that the police should produce the suspect within three days.
He said, I am shocked beyond words. But on second thought, I am not completely surprised because we have said it before and we will continue to say it that there are people in our security agencies that have other loyalties than they have to Nigeria.
I join millions of well-meaning Nigerians to demand that in the next three days at most, the security agencies should produce him.
He also urged the security agencies to investigate those directly involved in the escape.
We were told that there was a military officer with him when he escaped. What happened to this military officer? Where is the military man that was with him? Did that one also escape? That is another question that Nigerians are requesting an answer, he said.
The Director of Communication, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Fr. Raph Madu, blamed the police for the escape. He stated that it was unacceptable that such a high profile suspect could be allowed to escape from custody.
Madu, who was visibly angry, said that the issue had confirmed President Goodluck Jonathans allegation that Boko Haram had infiltrated the security service.
It is such a big shame to the police and the nation and it is part of what the President said that the government and the security service have been infiltrated by the Boko Haram. The Catholic Church calls for a thorough investigation into the matter because it is an affront to the country, he said.
Call for removal of IG
Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, called on the President to immediately sack the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim alleging that police authorities might have decided to release the suspect because he had implicated some highly placed Nigerians in his statement.
In a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, Falana said that the President must now know that there are Boko Haram sympathisers in his government.
He said it was unimaginable that the IGP, who ordered the arrest of the suspect in a military-style commando raid, could ask that he (the suspect) be escorted home by five policemen for a search.
Falana said, Whereas he was arrested by a full lorry load of armed policemen, he was taken out for a search by five policemen.
He was released in order to cover up the mastermind of the Boko Haram menace. The suspension of the CP by the IGP is diversionary because the IGP must have known that Biu was not the person to combat Boko Haram menace, which is very popular in his home state of Borno.
The IGP has refused to collaborate with the SSS in stamping out Boko Haram in the country. He should be relieved of his duty without further delay.
The lawyer threatened that if IGP was not removed he would report Jonathan to the Special Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
The Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, said that the suspects escape confirmed the Presidents fear of Boko Haram elements in his government.
He said, The President has said it that our security has been compromised and that there are many people in positions of authority who are members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect. It is a clear case of conspiracy.
People helped him to escape. It justifies what the Church has been saying; it is a deliberate effort by a group much larger than we think to destroy the church and if possible take over the state.
Also, the President of the Campaign for Democracy, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, described the suspects escape as a national embarrassment.
Okei-Odumakin said, It is a sign of a directionless government that cannot appreciate what the urgency of the moment is.
A government that cannot hold on to a bomb blast suspect showed its strength by deploying tanks and troops against unarmed protesters. It is a national embarrassment.
A former Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, also expressed outrage at the escape of Sokoto from Police custody.
He said the escape was a confirmation of Jonathans assertion that Boko Haram members had infiltrated his administration.
Tsav said, How did this happen? How can you arrest such a high profile suspect and let him escape? Its unbelievable.
When you arrest such a suspect, you handcuff him and in some countries you even put him in leg chains and provide adequate security before you take him anywhere.
I think there is complicity. The President should do something about the police. They should find out the kind of policemen that led him; are they from the same area? This is what should be established. Its a shame.
No comments:
Post a Comment