Offa bank robbery: Again, Police invite Saraki

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, alleged that the invitation was a ploy aimed at scoring cheap political points.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, has again invited the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, to report to the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) investigating a case of armed robbery that occurred on April 5 in Offa, Kwara State. During the robbery, a police station and six banks were attacked, leading to the death of 31 persons, including pregnant women and nine police officers.

READ ALSO: Offa bank robbery: Saraki must face panel – Police

Reacting to the invitation, Saraki discribed it as a political game, which is bound to fail.

In a letter to Saraki, the police boss said after going through the response of the Senate President, it became imperative for him to make some clarifications.

The IGP asked Saraki to report to the investigation team today at 8am.

The letter said: “It is in line with the above that you are requested to report to the head of the investigation team at the Intelligence Response Team at Guzape Junction, Asokoro Extension, Abuja, July 24, at 8am, for further investigation on the matter.”

He said during the investigation of the armed robbery by the IRT, “a CCTV footage of the operation in one of the banks, captured the image of two persons. The CCTV footage was circulated on the social media and this led to their identification as Kunle Ogunleye and Micheal Adikwu.

“The two persons were tracked and arrested by the police and they made very useful statements and named the five gang leaders who organised the robbery. Some of the five gang leaders made confessional statements admitting their participation in this worst armed robbery in the history of Nigeria and that they are political thugs under the name Youth Liberation Movement, aka ‘Good Boys,’ allegedly sponsored by you and that you have given them firearms, money and vehicles.

“It was equally discovered that one of the vehicles, a Lexus SUV, used by the gang leader, Ayoade Akinnibosun, has a sticker plate number ‘SARAKI – Kwara State of Harmony.’

“The Lexus jeep was parked in the Government House after the arrest of Akinnibosun and, in order to conceal evidence, the Chief of Staff to the Executive Governor of Kwara State arranged for the removal of the sticker plate number from the Lexus jeep and quickly registered it in the name of the suspect, six days after the suspect had been arrested by the police.”

“It is imperative you report to the police to make further statements after giving you the full text of the statements of the suspects,” Idris said.

In his reaction last night, Saraki said the police invitation was a mere afterthought designed to achieve political purpose.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, alleged that the invitation was a ploy aimed at scoring cheap political points.

Saraki said: “I have been reliably informed that the police invitation was planned by IG as a ploy to stop an alleged plan by some senators and House of Representatives members from defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC). It was also said that if I was detained between Tuesday and Wednesday, that will abort the so-called defection plan.

“While I continue to maintain that the issue of my position on the 2019 elections is not a personal decision for me alone to make, it should be noted that all these concoctions and evil plot cannot deter me. Those behind this fresh assault will fail as I have nothing to do with the robbery incident or any criminal matter for that matter.

“I am aware that following a request made by the Police on June 13, 2018 to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Federation had written a legal advice dated June 22, 2018, in which he stated on page 5, paragraph (f) that ‘for the Senate President and the Kwara State governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged office and the suspects’.

“The Police have obviously corrupted and politicised their investigations into the Offa robbery incident. They have turned it into an instrument for the party in power to suppress perceived opponents, witchhunt issue for blackmailing people from freely choosing which platform on which they want to pursue their ambition and a matter for harassing the people whose exit from APC would harm the chances of the party in the forthcoming elections.

“I want to make it apparent that I have no hand in either the robbery incident or any criminal acitivity. The Police in their haste to embarrass me sent the invitation to me at 8pm and requested that I report to the station by 8am tomorrow morning. This obviously demonstrated their desperation as I do not see why they are now in a hurry.

“They also stated in today’s letter that because in my response of June 7, 2018 to their own letter written on June 4, 2018, I stated that I was responding simply to the contents of the letter and that the full text of the statement made by the arrested suspects, which they claimed indicted me was not made available to me, they were now including the suspects statements in the current letter. Yet, instead of including the suspects’ statements, they only attached two copies of my own letter to the invitation. No suspects statement was made available.

“This plot aimed at compelling me and my associates to stay in a party where members are criminalised without just cause, where injustice is perpetrated at the highest level and where there is no respect for constitutionalism is an exercise in futility and it will fail.

“Once again, my confidence in God and our judicial system remains intact and unshaken. The truth shall also prevail in this case.”