Reported by: Ime Richard Aondofa | Edited by: Henry Owen
The chilling details of how Kabiru Umar Abubakar Dikko, popularly known as Kabiru Sokoto, the mastermind behind the Christmas Day bombing at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, on December 25, 2011, was found and arrested in a lodge owned by then Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima, remain one of the most controversial moments in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.
The Christmas Day bombing claimed dozens of innocent lives and injured scores of worshippers, shocking the nation and drawing widespread condemnation. In the aftermath, Kabiru Sokoto went on the run, triggering a nationwide manhunt led by security operatives.
In mid-January 2012, officers of the State Security Service (SSS) raided the Borno State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, as part of their ongoing search—and there he was: Kabiru Sokoto, hiding in plain sight. Security sources reported that explosives and AK-47 rifles were also found on the premises.
The discovery sparked public outrage and suspicion, given the political sensitivity surrounding a top Boko Haram suspect being discovered in a government facility.
Reacting to the backlash, Governor Shettima’s spokesperson, Isa Gusau, issued a swift statement, claiming that Sokoto had infiltrated the lodge in an attempt to kidnap the Governor’s children or attack him directly in retaliation for Borno’s crackdown on insurgents. The state government insisted it had no prior knowledge or connection to the suspect.
Despite the denials, confusion deepened the following day when Kabiru Sokoto escaped from police custody in Abuja under mysterious circumstances. Gunfire erupted as over 900 inmates were reportedly freed in what authorities described as a “coordinated breakout.” Sokoto vanished—again.
After weeks on the run, security operatives recaptured him on February 10, 2012, in Mutum Biu, Taraba State, where he was hiding at a relative’s home.
In December 2013, the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Kabiru Sokoto on terrorism and explosives-related charges, sentencing him to life imprisonment without parole. He has since remained in Kuje Prison.
Subsequent investigations under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan found no evidence of complicity against Governor Kashim Shettima, clearing him of any wrongdoing related to Sokoto’s temporary hideout in his official lodge.
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