Kano State Police Command has sacked officers in whose custody, a group of notorious criminals escaped some weeks ago.



The State Commissioner for Police Alhaji Tambari Yabo Muhammad who announced this over the weekend in Kano, said the eight officers, who allegedly facilitated the escape of the hardened criminals from the police detention, at the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) cells, were also demoted.


This punitive measure by the police authorities follows the failure of the eight officers to produce the fleeing criminals.

The police authorities had given them a two-week ultimatum to produce the five criminals who escaped from police cell, failure which, they risk expulsion from service.

The police boss explained that those of them who were on the rank Sergeant, were demoted to the rank of Corporal, those on the rank of Corporal, were demoted to Constables, while those who do not have ranks, were dismissed.

According to him, those he could not punish directly under the police service rule, had their cases transferred to the police headquarters Abuja for further disciplinary action, while the two inspectors involved in the cell break, can only be punished by higher police authorities in Abuja.

Alhaji Muhammad said the police would not relent in their efforts to fish out the criminals, as they have been declared wanted.

He therefore called on members of the public to assist the police with useful information on how to track down the fleeing criminals.

Mohammed Gana, the commissioner, who spoke to journalists after the jail break weeks back, said the detainees escaped due to "the negligence of the police officers on duty" while a week ultimatum had been given them to re-arrest the suspected armed robbers or face dismissal from the force.

Mr. Gana lamented the criminals' escape saying that the police have done a great job in hunting the criminals for more than a year after which they were allowed to escape.

"You know any discerning mind will not believe this story because how can you imagine a situation where you have eight policemen on duty, and these criminals who are five in number and are not armed escaped through a window through a barbwire?
"To me and any reasonable thinking officer, we will not condone this act, and as a result this eight policemen on duty assigned to guard the cell and allow these suspects to escape had been tried and I give them seven days to arrest the criminals back," Gana ordered.

He warned his men that, failure to arrest the criminals they will be dismissed and if any of them escape during the waiting period, such a person will be declared wanted and if arrested will be charged to court.

"We cannot condone criminality in the uniform, because we will not hide any bad egg in our midst and is better we work with few persons who can be trustworthy than many that cannot be trusted." Gana said.