ORDINARILY, Abaji is noted as a placid gateway to the Federal Capital Territory . If a commuter is coming to Abuja , this sleepy town provides a soothing relief that you are almost in the capital city. But the escape of a Boko Haram member, Kabiru Sokoto has deprived Abaji of its allure and image of a quiet entry point with strong Islamic ethos. When Kabiru Umaru Sokoto relocated to the town in March 2010, no one thought the guest will put Abaji on the world map as a refuge for a member of the Boko Haram. As a settler, Kabiru was whole heartedly accepted by the people of Abaji without inquisition into his Hijrah (migration) from Sokoto to their native land. It was gathered that the suspect, whose residence was burnt in Sokoto due to his religious fundamentalism and avowed loyalty to Boko Haram, had sought solace in Abaji because of its strong Islamic culture. According to findings, he had initially stayed with a trader in Anguwar Gbakiya before renting a one-room apartment Anguwar Asharawa in Abaji. A man, Abdullahi Mohammed said: “Until we heard the news, Mallam Kabiru Sokoto has been a quiet and a deep Muslim who is versed in Quran and Hadith. He is so respected that sometimes, he leads Subh (early morning prayers). He lives a simple life and you cannot see any trace of extremism in him. The fact that he sells provisions does not make us to suspect him of any link to Boko Haram.”
But the question on many lips is: Who is Kabiru Sokoto? Even security agencies have found it difficult to unravel the identity of this wanted man. A few snippets however revealed that he has a degree in Physics and Chemistry which confirmed security reports in the last one year that the Boko Haram sect has been using Improvise Explosive Devices (IEDs) in most of their deadly operations. A source said: “Kabiru Sokoto must have been one of the key members of the intellectual wing of Boko Haram. He is probably one of the covert members of the sect providing scientific support and probably identifying targets to be attacked.” To confirm this lead, investigation showed that the police have been on the trail of Kabiru Sokoto since the Christmas Day bomb blast at St.Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madalla , Niger State. Preliminary enquiry by the police had uncovered Kabiru Sokoto as one of the masterminds of the Madalla bomb explosions. It was gathered that attempts to track down the suspect led to last Friday clues on his presence at the Borno Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro District, Abuja .
How he landed in Abuja
There are different versions on the mission of Kabiru Sokoto in Abuja . While a source claimed that he had come to meet a friend, Ibrahim Umar Abba, who is studying for his Master’s Degree in London , the Borno State Government is suspecting mischief. Intelligence report indicated that the Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima was scheduled to arrive in Abuja last Friday evening and stay at the Governor’s Lodge. But some commitments delayed him in Maiduguri forcing the governor to come to the FCT on Saturday.
A reliable source added: “Maybe, there was a mission to kill the governor. The coincidence was just too much and psychologically devastating to the governor.”
The Borno State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Inuwa Bwala, said the state government suspected a plot to eliminate Governor Kashim Shettima.
Bwala 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 facilitate 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?
In its official reaction through the Secretary to the State Government, Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda, said what happened at its Lodge was a security breach.
The state also gave a graphic picture of how Kabiru Sokoto gained entrance into its Lodge.
Jidda said: “When we first heard about this incident, His Excellency Governor Kashim Shettima immediately ordered an investigation and this is what we found. On the evening of Thursday, January 5, one Ibrahim Umar Abba, an indigene of Borno State and a post-graduate student at the University of Birmingham in the UK , called the Permanent Secretary of the Borno State Liaison Office in Abuja .
“He said he was scheduled to catch a British Airways flight back to the UK the following day and would like to spend the night at the Governor’s Lodge in Abuja . The permanent secretary, who at the time was in Maiduguri , granted Ibrahim Abba Umar permission to spend the night at the lodge.
“When Ibrahim Umar Abba turned up at the lodge, he came with two other persons, one of them an Air force officer, the other a civilian. Neither of them is known to His Excellency the Governor, or to any other official of the Borno State Government.
“It turned out that the security agencies were on the trail of one of the three men, later identified as Kabiru Sokoto. The security agents arrived at the lodge and arrested the three “guests” as well as all the staff of the Governor’s Lodge.
“I will like to state emphatically that neither His Excellency Governor Kashim Shettima nor any other top official of the Borno State Government ever knew the said Kabiru Sokoto or the other two men.
“In fact, their surreptitious gaining of entry into the lodge where His Excellency often stays during his visits to Abuja is a very serious breach of security which has caused acute embarrassment to the State Government.”
The state government said it could not have harboured a member of the sect that had killed some stalwarts of the ruling All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the state in the last one year.
It said: “I will also like to remind the public that in the last one year alone, many leaders of the Borno State ANPP have been assassinated by suspected members of the Jama’atu ahlus Sunnah Lid’dawa’ti wal Jihad. They include the late Awagana Ali Ngala, then North East Vice Chairman of ANPP; Alhaji Modu Fannami Gubio, ANPP gubernatorial candidate Borno State; Honourable Mustafa Baale, Chairman of Jere Local Government; Fannami Ngranam, ANPP Chairman for Jere Local Government; Goni Modu Sheriff, Chairman of Ngala Local Government and many others.
“How therefore can the Borno State ANPP chapter and the state government that it controls possibly be in cahoots with or knowingly shelter a suspected member of the sect thought to be behind the cold blooded murder of so many of our leaders?
“The truth of the matter is that the incident was a major security breach by men who have the sinister intention to cause harm to His Excellency Governor Kashim Shettima, but for the providence of God. They have been plotting this for a long time and they succeeded in penetrating the Governor’s Lodge and spending a night there due to the sloppy breach of procedure by an innocent government official.
“I therefore wish to urge the public to ignore the malicious, wicked and illogical insinuations being made by some people that the Borno State Government knowingly harboured suspected members of a sect. It is a wicked attempt to turn truth on its head.”
Yet a different version of Kabiru’s movement
A different dimension to the story of Kabiru was in respect of his link with an Air Force officer, who was in his company. This confirmed the fears of the President that members of the sect have infiltrated security agencies and government officials.
Another reliable source said: “The suspect left Maiduguri on Friday via Kaduna . On getting to Kaduna , he sought the assistance of an Air Force to provide him escort to Abuja to catch a flight to London .
“Aware that the security agencies had been on his trail, he could not get a safe place to sleep. He decided to go to Borno Governor’s Lodge to seek assistance to sleep overnight as an indigene of the state.
“Oblivious that he is a Boko Haram member, the Permanent Secretary in charge of the Lodge decided to be magnanimous to give him free accommodation for a night.
“But intelligence agents trailing the suspect on the phone succeeded in tracing him to the Lodge through a GPRS device.
“This led to the storming of the Lodge in the early hours of Saturday leading to the arrest of the serving military officer and some staff on duty.
“But after interaction with the staff of the Lodge, they were released by the police on bail pending the conclusion of a comprehensive investigation.”
His arrest and escape
The manner of the arrest of Kabiru Sokoto suggested that the police got the right information from an insider.
A source in Asokoro said: “We had an unusual invasion of the Governor’s Lodge at about 4am when a truckload of Mobile Policemen from Zone 7. None of us could understand
“The invasion must have followed a tip-off. The suspect was arrested early on Saturday morning while in hiding at the Liaison Office in Abuja . He is said to be in transit to London .”
“They succeeded in arresting everybody at the Lodge including the cooks and others. Upon initial interrogation, all the support staff at the Lodge were later released by the police.”
The flop and headache for Ringim
Barely 48 hours after his arrest, Kabiru Sokoto miraculously escaped from the custody of a five-man police team that took him to Abaji for a search of his home. There were unconfirmed reports that some youths had waylaid the police team to set the Boko Haram member free. Other allegations border on monetary inducement and conspiracy within the police hierarchy. Irrespective of the argument, the IGP got a query to wit amidst a battle for survival; the Commissioner of Police in charge of the investigation, Alhaji Zakari Biu has been suspended and placed under house arrest; and the five policemen who unofficially released the suspect are languishing in the worst of detention facilities.
The police officers and their men could also not find an answer to the miraculous escape of Kabiru Sokoto.
It was learnt that a crack in police management over Ringim’s likely tenure extension might have accounted for the conspiracy which led to the escape of Kabiru Sokoto.
Another source added: “I think some senior police officers were opposed to the proposed tenure extension for Ringim leading to the conspiracy behind the escape of Kabiru Sokoto.
“There has been no doubt a crack within the police management. They have just been tolerating themselves.
“The ongoing investigation is also being viewed from the angle of a syndicate within the police working covertly against the IGP.
“Although no one has been identified with this conspiracy theory, the police believe that there might be more to the escape as the way the suspect was treated was unprofessional.
“Those policemen arrested in connection with the incident might provide further lead on this argument.”
As the nation’s await the outcome of a panel raised by the National Security Adviser, Gen. Azazi Owoye, it is obvious that the police may not remain the same with the disappearance of Kabiru. For the IGP and Biu, the mystery of the suspect’s disappearance remains a dent on their career in the police which will end in February. The IGP has lost an opportunity to extend his tenure by a year.
A police source said: “Prior to the escape of Kabiru Sokoto, what was on the card has been the extension of the tenure of the IGP. But with this latest, the presidency has foreclosed the extension of Ringim’s tenure because it can no longer be justified.
“In fact, the IGP had wanted to use the arrest of Kabiru Sokoto to strengthen his case for the extension of his tenure and justify the President’s claim that Boko Haram has infiltrated government circle.
“Those pushing for the extension of Ringim’s tenure had cited the prevalent insecurity in the country especially the Boko Haram menace. They told the President that it may take a new IGP three to six months to settle down and members of the dreadful sect may take advantage of the situation to unleash more terror attacks. They wanted one-year extension for Ringim.
“But that extension agenda has backfired now with his job on the line and the entire career overshadowed by the escape of the Boko Haram member.”
Until the long arm of the law catches with the suspect, Nigerians will still be asking: WHO IS KABIRU SOKOTO? Not even his wife and children in detention could be of help to the police on this mysterious and influential Boko Haram member.
See original article:
Untold story of Kabiru Sokoto