The rising violence in Nigeria has reached a critical point as the main Boko Haram suspect in the Christmas day bombings has escaped custody and officials are struggling to protect their citizens from the violent militant group.
The main suspect of the Christmas Day church bombings in Nigeria escaped after spending less than 24 hours in custody, according to Reuters. Now police officers involved in the case have been detained and will be investigated.
The suspect, Kabiru Sokoto, was arrested on Tuesday by Nigerian policeman. During a trip to his home in Abaji to conduct a search, their vehicle came under fire.
Sokoto was freed.
"In the course of undertaking this important procedure, the policemen on escort with the suspect were attacked by the suspected sect gang members and in the process the suspect [was] freed," Olusola Amora, police spokesman, said in a statement.
As a result, the Commissioner of Police was suspended from duty for negligence. The inspector general of police, Hafiz Ringim, has also been called in to explain the events that led to Sokoto's escape.
Minister of police Capt. Caleb Olubolade has told journalists that the commissioner will have to account for his mistakes if he is found guilty.
"I have also directed that the officers involved and the personnel involved should be detained immediately," he added.
There is valid reason to suspect the police in aiding the suspects escape. In recent weeks, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has said that he suspected there may be Boko Haram sympathisers in his government.
Furthermore, Nigeria has been notorious for corruption in the government and their security forces. According to Eric Guttschuss, Nigerian Researcher for Human Rights Watch, police efforts in Nigeria have long been undermined by corruption.
"Nigeria faces security challenges because police forces have failed conduct thorough investigations and follow through on prosecution of suspects due to corruption," Guttschuss said.
Guttschuss cited that victims of a crime in Nigeria have to pay police for justice, while criminals with money can pay off police. He said there was a deep degree of skepticism towards police forces and that people will have even less confidence in them after the escape of the bombing suspect.
While he says that the attacks on Christians are indefensible and inexcusable, he indicates that police must adopt a culture of professionalism and do more to protect Nigeria's vulnerable communities.
"The Nigerian government must ensure that vulnerable communities are protected, regardless of ethnicity or religious affiliation," Guttschuss told The Christian Post. "This includes Christians in the North and Muslims who are minorities in Christian communities."
Boko Haram uses attacks on mosques and injustices against Muslims to recruit new members and further instigate sectarian warfare. These issues must be addressed, according to Guttschuss, in order to improve the situation in Nigeria.
He added that Boko Haram also uses corruption of government to push their agenda for applying Sharia Law across Nigeria.
"They see that Nigerian officials have been corrupted by Western influences and feel that implementation of Sharia Law is the best way to confront the issue," Guttschuss said.
Jonothan Racho, regional manager for Africa at International Christian Concerns, agrees that the Nigerian government must do more to protect its citizens.
