The investigation will also cover the escape of other terror and crime suspects from the custody of security agencies, including a Boko Haram kingpin, Aliyu Tishau, in 2011.
A motion on the matter moved by Mr. Bitrus Kaze (Plateau State PDP) and nine other members was unanimously endorsed by the House.
Kaze had warned that unless the trend was halted, escaped terror suspects would merely regroup and return with "even more vicious attacks."
"The escape of terror suspects will further embolden those who want to engage in acts of terrorism," Kaze stated.
The Joint Committee on Police Affairs, National Security/Public Safety and Army was mandated to conduct the investigation.
The House resolution directed the committee to "conduct thorough investigations of circumstances leading to the escape of two terror suspects at the 33 Artillery Brigade, Bauchi; 26 armed mercenary who were arrested in Jos but escaped from police custody at the Force Headquarters, Abuja; the surreptitious escape of an alleged terror kingpin, one Mallam Aliyu Tishau; and escape from police custody, the prime suspect of the Madalla Christmas Day bombings (Kabiru Sokoto) and report back to the House within three weeks."
About 37 persons lost their lives on December 25, 2011, when suspected Boko Haram members attacked worshippers at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State, on the outskirts of Abuja.
Over 57 others were wounded in the multiple bomb explosions, which destroyed vehicles and surrounding residential buildings.
Kaze had argued that the arrests and subsequent escape of terror suspects were raising public anxiety, given the danger that Nigerians could be subjected to in the hands of such persons.
"The bungling of such security matters is now becoming a pattern giving rise to public anxiety over potential danger posed by the disappearance of suspected masterminds of terrorist acts who can return with greater fury as was reported to be the case of the August 2011 United Nations House bombing," he added.
The Speaker of the House, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, who presided over Tuesday's session, delayed debate on the matter pending the outcome of the investigation.
Tambuwal said that the lawmakers could be "judgmental" if they debated the motion while the outcome of the investigation was awaited.
"For us not to be judgmental, the House will refer the motion to the committees for investigation," he said.
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it is nothing but and outright disgrace to be reading this type of escape stories everyday. you don't need to be told that such escapes were to the first hand knowledge of the Police ,SSS, and boko haram sponsors. what do they want to investigate again . the reps are currently idle that is why they are now coming up with an investigation after almost oneto two years of jail breaks and aiding and abeting of escapeees of boko haram . their constituencies lack infrastural facilities and developments and here we are again wasting valuable time and money on cosmetic investigations. nothing posive is going to come out from it. this is my verdict simple and straight to the point. police aided the escapees .remembered in plateau and bauchi states where corpers that took refuge in police stations were chased out by the same police to meet the deadful boko haram . the corpers were killed by the boko haram . it is a big shame to hear taht suspects escape from cells or police stations . who opened the cell gates for them ? what about the handcuffs?
ReplyDeleteThey did not escape. They strolled free.
ReplyDelete