Police Commissioner Zakari Biu is in trouble over the escape of Kabiru Sokoto, the alleged mastermind in the Christmas Day 2011 bombing of St Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State. Forty-three people died in the bombing which the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, claimed responsibility.

Biu was Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Zonal Criminal Investigation Department at Zone 7 Police Command headquarters, Abuja. He was promoted Commissioner of Police (CP) last month.

The CP was said to have sent a team in a Toyota Hilux to conduct a search on Sokoto’s residence in Abaji in the FCT on Sunday. The suspect was handcuffed. Youths in the town spotted him and confronted the police team. Sokoto was freed by the youths. Police’s attempt to re-arrest Sokoto led to a pandemonium, a 28-year old HND student of Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, was shot and killed.
Confirming the suspension, Force Police Public Relations Officer (FPPRO), Olusola Amore, a Deputy Commissioner, said the CP and his team of investigators would be prosecuted for Sokoto’s escape, if a criminal case was established against them.

On getting the information of the escape, the IGP was said to have been shocked. He visited the place Sokoto was detained yesterday morning to get the facts of his escape.
There are claims that the IGP has given an ultimatum that Sokoto, who have been tracked since the bombing, must be brought back at all costs. But our sources revealed that Biu, a prominent member in the Abacha regime once appeared before the Oputa Panel over accusations of torture of detainees.
In an online statement issued yesterday, the police spokesman gave an insight into how the suspect escaped from custody while being driven under police escort to Abaji, a boundary town in the Federal Capital Territory [FCT], close to Lokoja, Kogi State, in furtherance of investigations.

The statement reads: “The Nigeria Police Force wishes to confirm that a suspect was arrested in a successful police operation and was rescued from a team of policemen detailed to carry out further investigation in the matter.
“The suspect was handed over to a Commissioner of Police for further investigation and he consequently detailed his men to take the suspect to Abaji in furtherance of investigation.

“In the course of undertaking this important procedure, the policemen on escorts with the suspect were attacked by the suspected sect gang members and in the process the suspect escaped.
“The Police view this development as a serious negligence on the part of the Commissioner of Police and have since been queried and suspended from duty.

“If a criminal case is established against him and his team, they will be prosecuted,” it said.
Sokoto was arrested at Borno State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja last Saturday.
Reacting, the state government described Sokoto’s escape as a fairy tale told to only feeble-minded persons.
This is even as it says the escape confirms the government’s suspicion that there was a grand conspiracy by certain forces to embarrass the governor and the government, with a view to portraying them as sponsors of Boko Haram.

State Commissioner for Information, Inuwa Bwala, who spoke to Daily Sun on phone said, “the intrigues and drama of the reported escape of the alleged Boko Haram suspect arrested at the Borno Governor’s lodge in Abuja from the police, does not only sound fairy tale, it justifies our suspicion to the effect that there may be a grand conspiracy intended to either embarrass the Governor and Government of Borno State, or to eliminate Governor Kashim Shettima.

“Suffice it to raise some posers, the answers to which may give a clue into the seeming mystery: If the man escaped while under escort, how can a man possibly in handcuffs outrun more than a platoon of armed policemen? Could the alleged sympathizers of Boko Haram which Mr President said have infiltrated the security agencies facilitated the escape? Could the arrest and escape stories not be a phantom arrangement after all? From which point did the police radar picked the said suspect in Zuba? Why was the whole drama headed for the Borno Governor’s Lodge in particular?

“Let me state for the avoidance of doubts that nobody or group, no matter their positions, can intimidate Governor Kashim Shettima or rope him or any official of the Borno State Government for that matter into any phantom plot. We are aware that certain people have been plotting to rubbish the development efforts of Governor Kashim Shettima,” Bwala added.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2012/jan/18/national-18-01-2012-001.html

The same old story, What a shame to GEJ administration.

I dont know why people are always blaming Gej for any wrong thing committed by wicked people. Imagine d mastermind of xmas day bombing was arrested and under police acustody with handcuff escaped and some useless Nigerians are blaming Gej. Is Gej a magician or spirit?

Tabon:

I dont know why people are always blaming Gej for any wrong thing committed by wicked people. Imagine d mastermind of xmas day bombing was arrested and under police acustody with handcuff escaped and some useless Nigerians are blaming Gej. Is Gej a magician or spirit?

Dont mind them.

If some pple find it difficult to shit in thier house it is GEJ. It is a pity that most of d contributors to post ot thread in NL are stack illiterates. Na wah o. Will GEJ leave his own job as a president to come and do policing for police?

They'll keep arresting bogus suspects and releasing them. Upside-down government!

GEJ is not spirit but as the number one citizen, he suppose live as example so that others will be cautioned and emulated "he is clumsy"he knows better sha.

How on earth can they allow him to escape. The political sponsors of boko haram has just pressed a button!

How Zakaria  Biu still remains a policeman is a mystery that can only happen in Nigeria, considering all he did to innocent people during the Abacha era! Well i guess he will come in handy with massive experience for the new emperor on the block.

Agree GEJ has is own problem as President. Is GEJ a police man?, pple are talking because they want to talk. You arrested smbody with handcuffed on him and the same person still escaped with the numbers of policemen we dont needs to be told that smthing is wrong smwhere. if na to collect 50 naira dey sabi that one, dey are all thiefs. God go punish dem (police) all.

Useless Nigerian police wey no fit arrest culprits, the one wey dem try arrest, dem still allow am escape. And for those calling GEJ names, is GEJ now a policeman?

Is this the same Zakari Biu of the Abacha era?? So he was re-absorbed into the NPF after the atrocities he committed during the Abacha era.

I don't know if the action of escape by the suspect would also qualify a street named after him in his own version of Paradise anyway, in his so called fight of an ''holy war'',

GEJ deserved to be attacked and blamed whicever way you want to look at it, the incompetencies of the Nigerian police is even known to an unborn child yet the president who should have sacked the IGP and bring in someone who is more competent to carry out the necessary reforms of the police failed to do so but even went ahead to give him a national award.
Lets call a spade a spade had GEJ sacked this man an appointed someone better and people can see even some slightest of changes in the police, not many people will blame him as we all know that its not his job to do the actual policing.

what a mess called d Nigerian Police Force

Is anybody still bothered that Jona has lost it? Does anyone still thinks we have a president, IG? Do we still have anybody in support of Jona? . Such persons must be a strongly clueless patriotic Nigerian

What do they mean by suspended, is it the same thing as sacked as CP?

STORY STORY! STOOOOORRRRRYYYY.

How can we not blame GEJ? Who are we to blame? The commissioner of police? GEJ is designated “the commander in chief" of the armed forces, he has the power to hire and fire.

People have been calling for the sack of the IGP and other security chiefs over the Boko Haram fiasco, but he refused to listen, now these people are showing their incompetencies and some are saying don't blame GEJ.

All you guys defending GEJ are as dumb as he is, you dont know what leadership is about. It is true that GEJ can not be every where and can not do every body's job. But the issue is, what has been his reaction when poeple under him commit fraud and show gross negligence. First,  Billion$ what of IPP electric equipment was fraudulently sold by the Customs, till date no one was qerried or lost his job and many other instances. Now you want Nigerians to believe that a terrorist that was handcuff got away from a team of Police special force, again no one has been detain for that. The  normal story will be tha they are investigating. The only reason people can take their leader for granted is when they are sooo sure of his weaknes.  I voted GEJ but am surprised at his weakness.

Some people who ordinarily have no business being on such social platforms as NL and many others like it are here today. Thanks to internet access proliferation. What beats me thou is why people who lack reasonable opinion must bare their warped minds on this page.
Well am not suprised. Some people must talk, if for nothing, atleast to hear their own voice.
GEJ this, GEJ that.

who is fooling who?

Story story. They opened the cell ǡŋ₫ he probably even strutted out ☺₣ the prison, now they come up with this fabricated story ☺₣ an alleged 'escape'. Naija, una do well

CP Zakari Biu is indeed a very very controversial figure. He was only absorbed back into NPF a couple of months ago following a 2nd suspension even after Abacha era where he messed up alot of things as a policeman. I think in a sane country, Ringim will be in jail for bringing back Biu.
Indeed it is no longer a puzzle as to why a suspect in handcuffs was able to escape, considering the level of his offence. Biu and Ringim just have to go on this. When was Biu reabsorbed into NPF? on what basis? On who's orders? Now he is suspended, not arrested. Nigeria is in big trouble. Our security is being compromised greatly

GEJ is nnot only fighting against BH, he is, in effect fighting against the entire northern Nigeria.
Is anyone still against the notion that all muslims (especially the hausa muslims) are all BH backers?
GEJ should transfer police officers of SS/SE origin to head the police command in places like borno where these guys seem to be nutured.

, na paddy paddy government we dey o e gba mi o, na arrangee government be this o ye paripa o,  Abami Eda lives on

All these nairanders defending GEJ shld have their heads checked. If it were to be in a fair country, the IG and most of the top police officers in the boko haram terrorized area should have been sacked long ago.

How silly can IGP Ringim be?
-Suspect arrested in Abuja by a combined team of police, soldiers and SSS
- Suspect home in Abaji, Niger state needs to be searched
- Suspect handed to a suspect CP previously linked with extra judicial killings and corrupt practices
-CP Biu an indigene of Borno state, homebase of BH
- CP Biu previously suspended twice from NPF for Apo killings and Abacha crimes
-CP Biu reinstated few months back when BH was killing people
- CP Biu now told to 'look after' suspect arrested with truckload of police in Abuja
-CP Biu sends 5 police officers to follow suspect to his house for search
-CP Biu summarises the problem with the Nigerian state

Hope he will not be given a secret appointment later.

ola_pluto:

How silly can IGP Ringim be?
-Suspect arrested in Abuja by a combined team of police, soldiers and SSS
- Suspect home in [b]Abaji, Niger state [/b]needs to be searched
- Suspect handed to a suspect CP previously linked with extra judicial killings and corrupt practices
-CP Biu an indigene of Borno state, homebase of BH
- CP Biu previously suspended twice from NPF for Apo killings and Abacha crimes
-CP Biu reinstated few months back when BH was killing people
- CP Biu now told to 'look after' suspect arrested with truckload of police in Abuja
-CP Biu sends 5 police officers to follow suspect to his house for search
-CP Biu summarises the problem with the Nigerian state

Abaji is in FCT not Niger. How come none of the police men was killed during the escape? Why didn't the policemen shoot like they did to protesters in Lagos and Kano? Questions and more questions. Going to search a Boko Haram hideout with five policemen? What is the IGP still doing in office?