Boko Haram Connection:Zakari Biu,Between Fate and Faith

There are fears in some quarters that Commissioner of Police Zakari Biu may be a secret member of Boko Haram and may have joined them to coordinate their activities in order to exact revenge over the death of his son, Tahir, who was killed in the October 1, 2010 terrorist attacks by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) at the Eagle Square, Abuja.

It may be recalled that Zakari Biu was linked to the deaths of several persons killed during the Abacha era by bombing including Bagauda Kaltho, a journalist working for TheNEWS magazine, and Dr. Sola Omatsola, former Chief Security Officer of Murtala Muhammed International Airport at the Oputa Panel set up by the Obasanjo administration to probe incidences of human rights absue under the military.

Zakari


Bagauda Kaltho was killed when a bomb exploded in the bathroom of his hotel. Zakari Biu, then an Assistant Commissioner had claimed then that the journalist died while trying to plant the bomb in the hotel.

In the case of Omatsola, who died in a car explosion, Zakari Biu had claimed he was a NADECO agent and that he was killed while examining a bomb he was about to plant.

Zakari Biu and his team were skilled in the use of explosives which is the preferred means of death and destruction of today’s Boko Haram and there is a circumstantial case that could tie him to Boko Haram elements.

It will be recalled that Boko Haram’s operational base is Borno State and Zakari Biu and the escaped suspect both hail from Borno State.

It may also be recalled that it was not until after the death of Zakari Biu’s son, Tahir, in October 1st, 2010 that Boko Haram’s activities picked up and bombings and drive by shootings became common place.

In a January, 2010 interview with TheNews magazine, Nobel Professor Wole Soyinka, had given his views about Zakari Biu thus “There’s no reason why somebody like Zakari Biu cannot be co-opted by the al-Qaeda because, obviously, he has no concern for humanity. He’s a complete brute. You know, he can torture. I can see Zakari Biu very happily strapping a bomb to himself and blowing up a passenger plane.” Perhaps instead of al-Qaeda, he was co-opted into Boko Haram or maybe founded it. Of course there have been credible reports of cooperation between al-Qaeda and Boko Haram.

Burnt out Mtor taxi at the Police Headquarters in Kano.The member of the boko Haram Sect were said to have dressed in uniforms ressembling those of the military and police to carry out the bombing attack ,Friday 20th,January ,2012.


In his testimony on the bombing death of Omatsola, the then Commissioner of Police for Lahos state, Abubakar Tsav testified thus Speaking with Vanguard on how to tackle Boko Haram, Tsav said: “Remember, during the Abacha, regime, we had the issue of bomb blast here and there. And each time there was a blast, they would say it’s NADECO. There was a time when I was Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, there was this bomb blast that killed Dr. Omatsola, the Security Officer of the Murtala Mohammed Airport. My command was directly involved in the investigation. So from what happened during the investigation, I knew that the security units of this country were the ones throwing the explosives. They will throw the bomb and go and tell lies to Abacha that it was NADECO.”

A brother of a suspected member of the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram, Uzairu Abba Abdullahi, stands on January, 24, 2012 next to a bullet-riddled car inside the house of the suspected sect members in the Tsamiyar Boka neighborhood of the northern Nigerian city of Kano just days after attacks killed 185. Abdullahi, a textile merchant, and his wife were shot dead in an overnight raid by security on his house. A witness said that a large number of military and state security services operatives encircled a house suspected to be a hideout of Boko Haram shortly after midnight. They opened fire and the suspects fired back resulting in a shootout lasting around four-and-half hours.



“In the case of Omatsola, for instance, my command was directly involved in the investigations. The evidence we had was that somebody telephoned Dr. Omatsola, he went out of his office and entered his car and the bomb went off and killed him. So I minuted the file that they should go to NITEL, because there was no GSM then. I asked them to go to NITEL and find out who telephoned him, from what number and from where. We were working on this when they took the file away from us and handed it over to a unit they called anti-terrorist squad (headed by Biu).

So a few days later, they came to me and asked that I must go and issue a press release and indict Prof. Wole Soyinka. That it was he and NADECO that were responsible. Then I said if that was true, then give me the evidence so that I can have it filed in case I make the statement and somebody raises issues with it I would be able to defend myself. They said I was disloyal. I think they telephoned Abuja and they asked another junior officer to go and do it. One other funny thing is that when that man was killed, the police went to investigate and search his office. Eleven days after that, eleven days after the police had conducted its search and investigation, another security group went to the office to search without informing the police and came out to say they found explosives.”

Meanwhile, the minister for Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade is very troubled over the escape of Kabir Sokoto and has issued a 24 hour query to the Inspector General of Police. According to him, the Inspector General of Police may be sacked over the escape especially as the incidence has brought Nigeria international opprobrium ever since it hit the international media.

According to Mr. Olubolade, “That was an unfortunate incident but measures will be put in place now to address the escape. From the ministry, I have directed the IG to carry out full investigation and even at higher level above that one there will be another investigation to ascertain what led to the suspect’s escape. I have also directed that the officers involved and the personnel involved should be detained immediately. You would have seen in the papers that a commissioner of police has been suspended. In fact, beyond that, I have ordered that he be placed under closed arrest,”

There are even fears emanating from the minister himself that his own head may roll as President Jonathan is said to be furious that the police could allow such a dreaded suspect escape in a manner that suggests there was some complicity from the police most notably Commissioner of Police Zakari Biu who is from Borno State himself and who was the head of the Anti
Terror squad under the late Abacha. It will be recalled that Biu worked directly under Major Hamza Al’Mustapha, the Chief Security Officer to Abacha and his team were later established to have had a hand in the several bombings of the Abacha era which were blamed by that administration on NADECO and pro democracy Activists.

By this escape, President Jonathan has been vindicated over his much attacked statement to the effect that Boko Haram had infiltrated government and the security services.

Asked about that conclusion, Mr. Olubolade responded thus “I cannot confirm that statement. What is important is the suspect is amiss and all steps must be taken to re-arrest the suspect. While that is pending, the officers involved who conducted the search must be detained so that the outcome of the investigation will lead to whatever punishment will be given,”

Many Nigerians are also calling for the Police to release a picture of Kabir Sokoto to make it easier to apprehend him. Sokoto, who was a kingpin of Boko Haram which is against western education was himself a post graduate student of the University of London and was arrested while on his way to London on a British Airways flight.