The
Minister of Police Affairs, retired Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade,
voiced out the presidency’s action plan while speaking with State
House correspondents shortly after the Federal Executive Council
meeting at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday.
Sokoto, who
was arrested by the Police over alleged complicity in the Christmas
Day bombing of St. Theresa Catholicc Church, Madalla, Niger State, was
reported to have escaped after his arrest at the Borno Governor’s
Lodge in Abuja.
The Minister,
who described the development as unfortunate, said that if anyone,
including the IGP, is found culpable in the saga would be sanctioned.
``It is an
unfortunate incident but measures will be put in place now, to address
the escape of the suspect. From the Ministry, I have directed the IGP
to carry out full investigation and even at higher level above, there
will be another investigation,’’ he said.
Navy Capt.
Olubolade said that the IGP could face sanction if found guilty of
negligence because ‘’he is the field officer, he has the
responsibility to ensure all operations regarding arrest and all that
are conducted in the usual manner.
‘’If he is
found to have had complicity in that, he himself will have to account
for his mistake.’’
The police
affairs minister said that he had also directed that the Commissioner
of Police in charge of investigating the suspect, Mr Zakari Biu, is
to be ``placed under closed arrest’’.
Mr. Biu is
reported to have been placed under suspension by the Nigeria Police
Force.
Olubolade,
however, disclosed that his Ministry would carry out an independent
investigation, besides that of the Police, to ascertain what led to
the escape of the Boko Haram suspect.
Meanwhile, the
Nigerian police in Osun, a South West state zone of the country on
Wednesday confirmed the arrest of six suspected thieves.
The suspects
on December,11,,are alleged to have stolen vehicle spare parts at a
worship Centre set ablaze in Osogbo.
The Osun state
Police Commissioner, Mr. Olusegun Solomon, who made the disclosure in
Osogbo at a news conference, said that unidentified arsonists set
the worship centre ablaze at Alekuwodo, Osogbo, during the protests
which followed the removal of the subsidy on petrol.
The
commissioner said while the search for the arsonists who burnt the
worship centre was on, the police arrested those who took advantage of
the incident to steal.
\
He said the
suspects dismantled the vandalized vehicles in order to cannibalize
the body parts and sell them to vehicle parts dealers.
Mr. Solomon
said one of the suspects was arrested on his way to Sabo area of the
metropolis while still in possession of some of the stolen scraps.
“His arrest
led to the arrest of five other suspects who have all made
confessional statements while some of the vehicle parts have been
recovered from them,” he said.
The
Commissioner said the suspects might be part of the irate protesters
who burnt the worship centre, adding that investigation was still on
Still
speaking, Solomon said that the police would not arrest former Gov.
Olagunsoye Oyinlola whose vehicle allegedly knocked down two persons
on Dec. 10.
Ex-
Gov.Oyinlola’s convoy had made its way through the busy Olaiya
junction in Osogbo where anti-subsidy removal protesters were holding
a rally.
One of the
vehicles reportedly hit two of the protesters and they were taken to
the Government House clinic for medical attention while the driver
escaped.
But the
commissioner argued that besides the fact that Oyinlola needed to
protect himself from mob action, he said the former governor did not
actually drive the vehicle which hit the victims.
Although Solomon threatened to arrest the driver of the vehicle, he
told newsmen that it was illegal for protesters to barricade roads in
the first place.