February 4, 2012 by Niyi Odebode, Fidelis Soriwei and Adelani Adepegba, Abuja
Some traditional rulers and politicians have started pressurising President Goodluck Jonathan and the acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, over the case of a Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zakari Biu.

SATURDAY PUNCH investigations showed that the traditional rulers and politicians had started making moves to ensure that Biu got a soft-landing.

It was, however, learnt that the President, who had resisted the pressure, insisted on due process.

The embattled CP, who was in charge of investigations, it was learnt, would retire next year.

He was suspended on Jan 18 over the escape of a Boko Haram suspect, Kabiru Sokoto, from police custody.

Sokoto was accused of masterminding the Christmas Day bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, where 43 people died.

The suspect escaped on Jan 15 while he was being taken to his house at Abaji, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for a search by five policemen.

The commissioner of police investigating the suspect’s case and the five policemen, who accompanied him to Abaji, had been suspended and arrested.

Former IG Hafiz Ringim was forced to resign following his failure to meet up with Jonathan’s ultimatum to produce the Boko Haram suspect.

The President had given the ex-IG a 24-hour ultimatum to produce the suspect.

An investigation showed that some members of Biu’s family had swung into action to locate the whereabouts of the police commissioner.

Some newspapers (The PUNCH not included) had on Tuesday reported that family and friends of the CP did not know his whereabouts.

According to the reports, the friends and family members said they had not set eyes on Biu and had tried in vain to trace where he was taken to, as none of the country’s security agencies seemed to know his whereabouts.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Maj.-Gen. Raphael Isah, was reported to have said Biu was not with the Army.

Also, the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Oluyemi Ajayi, said the officer had long ceased to be in police custody.

It was learnt that the family had contacted some traditional rulers and top politicians to intervene in Biu’s case.

A top security source told one of our correspondents that some traditional rulers and politicians had in fact contacted Jonathan and the acting IG.

The source said the traditional rulers and politicians preferred that Biu should be allowed to resign since he would leave the police next year.

He stated, “They are considering a situation where the police commissioner will silently be given a soft-landing by easing him out of the police. Since he is going next year, some people are saying he should be allowed to retire with all his entitlements.

“They don’t want a situation where he will lose the 35 years he has spent in the police. Their argument is that the man deserves pity because he lost his son in the Oct 1, 2010 bomb blast in Abuja.”

But it was learnt that the moves of the traditional rulers and politicians were being resisted by people in the security agencies.

Investigations showed that security experts had urged the President and the acting IG to ensure that the recommendations of a committee headed by the were implemented.

The PUNCH had on Monday reported that the committee recommended that Biu and the five policemen should be sacked and prosecuted.

It was learnt that those who were against a soft-landing for Biu cited his antecedents in the police.

A source in the Presidency said that because of public opinion, there was no way Jonathan, the acting IG and the Police Service Commission would yield to the pressure from Biu’s sympathisers.

The Presidency source stated, “You will recall that Biu was the anti-terrorism chief of the late maximum ruler, Gen. Abacha. Biu’s group was used by Abacha to unleash terror on government’s perceived opponents.

“Biu was said to have been dismissed from the police after Abacha’s death, but was controversially reinstated and promoted commissioner of police by the PSC, which had also ratified the demotion and subsequent dismissal of former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.”

He said any attempt to treat Biu’s case with levity would portray Jonathan’s administration, locally and internationally, as not being serious with the war against terrorism.

He said, “Those who are resisting the pro-Biu group are saying if Ringim can be forced to resign, Biu and the five policemen should face harsher punishment.”

The Presidency source said it was very unlikely that the President would yield to pressure from any quarters.

He said that while the President would not go after anybody, he would not allow anybody to interfere with the process to deal with the offence committed by Biu and others in detention with him.

The source said, “All I know is that Biu and those who committed the offence of releasing Kabiru Sokoto would be made to face the law.

“I’m not saying the President would go after them; you know that President Goodluck Jonathan would not be vindictive in this matter.

“The President would allow the stipulated process to be followed in dealing with the grave offence or allegation made against the commissioner and his cohorts.

“If they are found guilty and the punishment is dismissal, they would be dismissed from the force and tried for the serious security offence and if they are innocent, they would be made to go.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Olusola Amore, on the issue did not succeed as he did not pick the five calls put to his cell-phone between 4 pm and 8 pm on Thursday. He did not also respond to an SMS sent to him.

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http://www.punchng.com/news/biu-emirs-politicians-pressure-jonathan-ig-want-soft-landing-for-him/

Biu's cup was long filled since his Abacha days crimes

Whosoever causeth wahala shall be blessed with wahala.