For quite some time, former police boss, Hafiz Ringim, had been briefed that Kabir Sokoto, a dreaded second in command to the leader of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, Shekau-Shekau, had been on the wanted list of the police.Thus, the manhunt for the notorious bomber was reinforced, when it was confirmed that he was the coordinator of the Christmas Day bombing in Madalla, Niger State, which killed over 42 worshipers of St. Theresa's Catholic Church.Following the revelation, the police intensified the search for Kabir Sokoto, particularly when information filtered into the police boss's ears, that the most wanted terrorist had sneaked into Abuja. The search for the wanted terrorist commenced through the use of the newly acquired police tracking device unit, headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, who was a former mobile police commander before he de-mobbed.Based on the signals received from his last call while trying to coordinate another terrorist attack in Abuja, Ringim constituted a high team of crack detectives led by the officer in charge of the Special Armed Robbery Squad which immediately went into action, with the tracking device giving them clues on the possible location of the wanted terrorist.The signal located his hideout between Borno and Jigawa State Government Lodge, Asokoro, and, based on that, the detectives immediately moved into Jigawa Lodge, a fence away from Borno lodge, and after ransacking the whole area, Sokoto could not be found. Not satisfied, the detectives swiftly moved into Borno State lodge, where they found Sokoto in one of the chalets, and he was subsequently arrested and handed over to the Inspector General of Police.It was reliably gathered that Ringim immediately invited his closest confidant and squad mate, CP Zakari Biu, who was in Zone 7 Police Headquarters at about 3:30 in the early hours of Monday January 16, 2012, to carry-out a very thorough investigation and also arrest his other culprits. Information available revealed that Biu however constituted his own team of investigators, who extracted confessional statements from Kabiru Sokoto on their modus operandi, mentioned some important personalities and also revealed that the sect had an operational base in Abaji, a satellite town about 70 kilometres from Abuja city.It was reliably gathered that the investigators constituted by Biu, having jettisoned the team that arrested Sokoto, set out for Abaji town at about 5:30a.m. on Monday morning, 16th January, without recourse to the police division in the town. The team went straight to the palace of Ona of Abaji, Adamu Baba, where, it was alleged, some youths gathered and attacked the team, thereby creating an avenue for the escape of the suspect.Rumours of the escape of the suspect started filtering through the Louis Edet Force Headquarters at about 8a.m. Monday, as senior officers gathered in clusters, discussing the development. However, on Tuesday, January 17, an official statement emanating from the Force spokesman, DCP Olusola Amore, confirmed that the most wanted terrorist, Sokoto, had escaped from police custody, and that theaffected Commissioner of Police whose the name was not disclosed had been queried and suspended.Reactions trailed the escape, as the Minister of Police Affairs ordered the immediate arrest of all members of the investigating team constituted by Zakari Biu. He ordered that Biu be placed under close watch, while the police High Command constituted a team to launch a manhunt to fish out the escaped suspect, announcing a reward of N50million for any information that could lead to his arrest. Former IGP Ringim was also queried by the presidency and given 24hours to produce the suspect.The search for Kabiru Sokoto continues, as the crack detectives have already visited some states, piecing information together with the suspects' photographs now circulated to all exit and entry points in the country.
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