"I did not escape, I was released by the Police" says Kabiru Sokoto.

The claim by the Police that the kingpin of the Boko Haram sect, Kabiru Sokoto, arrested in connection with the Christmas Day bomb blasts at Madalla, Niger State, escaped from lawful custody may have been a hoax after all.

There were indications on Friday, in Abuja, that his escape was allegedly aided by some top police chiefs in concert with the top echelon of the dreaded sect.

According to Saturday Tribune, the suspect, who is now in the custody of the State Security Services (SSS), had actually given details of his purported escape to operatives grilling him.

Nigerians were stunned on January 15, this year when the police declared that Kabiru Sokoto had escaped from custody at Abaji, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja while on investigation to search his residence.

Consequently, the Federal Government ordered the immediate suspension of the Commissioner of Police in charge of Anti-Terrorist Squad, Mallam Zakari Biu under whose custody the suspect escaped along with other policemen involved in the investigation into the matter and ordered a full-scale investigation into his alleged escape.

The government also relieved Mr. Hafiz Ringim of his post as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) with immediate effect for alleged negligence of duty.

However, it was gathered that following the re-arrest of Kabiru Sokoto by the combined team of military personnel and the operatives of the SSS penultimate Friday in Mutum-Biu, Taraba State, he had opened up on his purported escape.

Sources claimed that he denied that he escaped from lawful custody but that he was purportedly released by the police based on an alleged arrangement made with them by the top echelon of the sect with their contact in the police.

The suspect, it was learnt, alleged that the police facilitated his initial escape to a location in Toto, before he moved to Taraba State, where he had planned to flee to neighbouring Republic of Cameroun before he was caught.

It was further learnt that following the suspect’s revelation, the SSS reportedly marked one of the said top police officers and others down for further interrogation with a view to unraveling those behind the purported escape within and outside the police.

A very senior officer in the service told our correspondent in confidence that Kabiru Sokoto was cooperating with his interrogators which, he said at the end of the day, would assist in no small way in unraveling the mystery behind the activities of the sect in the country.