SINCE  Boko Haram became  a social menace and major threat to national security in 2009, its activities have been a catalogue of bloody and sorrowful events. The more the  government assures of reining in the vicious band of religious fanatics, the more deadly have been its attacks. It has now become apparent that the seeming invincibility of Boko Haram is a direct consequence of the existence of collaborators within the system. The reported escape of the alleged mastermind of the Christmas Day bomb blast at Madalla in Niger State, Kabir Umar a.k.a Kabir Sokoto, has been a source of consternation to all and sundry. The Christmas Day bomb blast at the St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla claimed the lives of several people – mostly church members - and left more than 50 others with varying degrees of injury. It is inconceivable that investigation into such a national calamity could be handled with blatant levity.

ACCORDING to reports, Umar was arrested at the Borno State Governor’s lodge in Abuja alongside a serving military officer. He escaped from the police while being taken to his base at Abaji, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory for a search of his apartment. The police commissioner handling the investigation, Mr Zakari Biu, detailed five policemen to take the suspect to Abaji for the search. The policemen were reportedly attacked and overpowered by suspected Boko Haram members and Umar, in handcuffs, escaped.

THE reported escape of the suspect and the circumstances that surround it have the features of a high drama. The man’s arrest was effected with a truckload of armed policemen. What then informed the decision to assign only five policemen to go with him for a search of the apartment of a man being investigated for mass murder? Also, the reported link between the individuals involved in the entire issue offer ample insight into it all. The commissioner of police handling the case was a classmate and is known to be a friend of the now retired Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim. The commissioner comes from the same town, Biu, in Borno State, as the alleged bomber.

IT was probably out of sheer frustration that President Goodluck Jonathan recently said that his government had been infiltrated by Boko Haram. He has openly stated that the vicious sect has a foothold in the security agencies and the different arms of government. It has for long been clearly perceivable that there is much more to Boko Haram than meets the eye.

THE manner in which the leader of the sect, Mohammed Yusuf, was hurriedly eliminated in 2009 speaks volumes. The man was arrested by soldiers and handed over to the police. The astounding story that emanated from the police shortly after was that Yusuf had been killed in a shootout during an escape bid. How a man in manacles in police custody developed extra hands, and how he came by the gun with which he engaged the police in a duel are questions that are yet to be answered. The men who extra-judicially murdered Yusuf have been saying that they acted on orders from higher authorities. These men have for long been on trial. The life of Buji Foi, who was a former commissioner in Borno State, was in a similar fashion, terminated abruptly while in police custody. It has all along been apparent that these men were summarily dispatched to deny the government the opportunity of extracting from them vital information which would have exposed some of their backers and assisted the government in solving the Boko Haram riddle.

WHILE the escape of the bomb blast suspect was being greeted with outrage, the attention of the public was drawn to the fact the police investigator,  Zakari Biu, had for long been thrown out of the police force because of his sordid past in the Abacha regime but was mysteriously reabsorbed not long ago. It is unthinkable that a man with such a background and link with the suspect could be given such a sensitive assignment that has so much bearing on national security. It is gladdening to note that Biu is currently under detention.

WHATEVER action the government may decide to take against any erring officer, the primary objective should be a vigorous exploration of vital sources of information for the purpose of uncovering the powers behind the Boko Haram, and its collaborators in the security services and the different arms of government. The like of Biu, the five police escorts and the killers of Mohammed Yusuf and Buji Foi should be thoroughly grilled. The suspect’s mission at the Borno State Governor’s lodge and what rendered the police escorts totally helpless when he was escaping should be of interest to the government. For as long as there are supporters and sympathisers of Boko Haram in critical positions, the efforts of the government to deal with the menace will continue to be frustrated.  To crush the dangerous sect, the government must identify and prosecute those who constitute its backbone.

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