Africa News
LEAD: Nigeria blast suspect escapes police custody
Jan 18, 2012, 11:23 GMT
Abuja - A man suspected of involvement in the deadly Christmas Day bombing of a church in the Nigerian town of Madalla has escaped police custody, security officials said Wednesday.
Kabir Sokoto escaped while being escorted by police to his home in Abaji, where he said he needed to check on the property. He had been arrested in the capital Abuja last weekend.
More than 40 people were killed when a bomb exploded outside St Teresa Catholic Church on Christmas Day. The radical Islamist group Boko Haram said it was responsible for the attack.
Police chief Hafiz Ringim confirmed the escape.
'It is a serious negligence on the part of the commissioner of police, who has since been queried and suspended from duty,' he said in a statement.
Boko Haram, which has claimed responsibility for attacks killing at least 50 since Christmas Day, has not commented on the escape.
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