The police on Wednesday said they had not withdrawn their invitation to the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, over his alleged link with suspected robbers, who invaded banks in Offa on April 5, 2018.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, who stated this in Abuja while parading two more suspects of the robberies, said Saraki must appear in person to defend himself.
Moshood had, on Sunday in Abuja while parading two more suspects involved in the Offa bank robberies, said alleged gang leaders levelled allegations against Saraki and the Kwara State Governor, Abdufatah Ahmed.
He said that Saraki had been asked to report to the Force Intelligence Response Team Office at Guzape, Abuja, to answer to the allegations reportedly levelled against him by five alleged gang leaders.
The Senate President, had, on his Twitter handle on Monday morning, said he had yet to get any invitation from the police. He said he had informed his aide-de-camp to get the invitation from the police.
Later on Monday, Saraki said he had received a letter from the police asking him to respond to the allegations in writing.
He had written, “Following my earlier tweet, I have received the letter from @PoliceNG. They are no longer asking me to appear at any station, but to respond in writing to the allegations within 48 hours, which I plan to do.”
But in an interview with journalists on Wednesday, the police spokesman denied that the Senate President was asked to send his written defence.
He insisted that investigators were still expecting the Senate President to report to the Force Intelligence Response Team office at Guzape, Abuja, to explain his links to the five gang leaders involved in the robberies.
Moshood said, “The invitation was never withdrawn. I read to you (journalists) that the Senate President was being invited to come and answer to the allegations levelled against him by the five gang leaders here. We are expecting him in person. As I said earlier on, the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, has a case to answer.”
He added that it was only the police that could issue a statement about the ongoing investigation, noting that Saraki was being expected for interrogation by the police.
Asked if Saraki had a deadline to show up for interrogation, the police spokesman said it was up to the investigators to determine that.
He also stated that the detectives would determine whether the Senate President should be arrested if he failed to respond to the police summons.
The police also vowed they would do everything possible to bring Saraki to justice for his alleged involvement in the multiple bank robberies in Offa.
The force stated that it had arrested two additional suspects out of the three persons named by the gang leader, Ayoade Akinnibosun, a.k.a AY.
Parading the two new suspects, Alhaji Kehinde Gobiri, a.k.a Captain, and Alhaji Oba Olododo, a.k.a Jakwando alongside the gang leaders at the force headquarters, Abuja on Wednesday, the police spokesman explained that the suspects had provided information about their connections to the embattled senator.
He stated that the suspects were part of the notorious political thugs in possession of firearms and other dangerous weapons working for the Senate President in Kwara Central Senatorial District.
He added that Gobiri and Olododo had admitted to the various crimes and criminalities they committed in Kwara Central Senatorial District under the guise of political thuggery for the Senate President.
Moshood disclosed that the third suspect, Alhaji Dona, was still at large, noting that efforts were ongoing to apprehend him.
He stated, “The Nigeria Police Force will not be cowed or succumb to intimidation from any quarter in carrying out a thorough and discreet investigation into the Offa bank robberies, where significant successes have been recorded.
“The ongoing investigation will be driven to a logical conclusion. Meanwhile, the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki is still under investigation in connection with the robbery and the Nigeria Police Force will do everything possible within the ambit of the law to ensure that justice is done in this case.”
Moshood stated that investigations showed that three gang leaders who participated actively in the Offa bank robberies, Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye aka Arrow and Adeola Abraham followed Saraki to Olofa’s Palace when he paid a condolence visit to the traditional ruler after the robberies.
He said, “New revelations from further investigations into the matter show that all the five gang leaders namely: Akinnibosun, Ogunleye, Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran have direct connection to the Senate President as new pictures of one of the five gang leaders when paraded by the police earlier in the week was in ‘Aso Ebi’ (trouser) used during the Senate President daughter’s wedding.”
“The gang leaders further admitted that they attended the Senate President daughter’s wedding held recently.”
The gang leader, Akinnibosun in an interview explained that his gang members went with the Senate President to visit the Olofa’s palace, but not on his invitation, adding that they heard about the visit through Saraki’s friend, Samshudeen Bada, who invited them.
He said, “I have a friend; he is a politician close to the Senate President. His name is Samshudeen Bada. He was the one that called me and told me that the Senate President was going to Offa, so I called Kunle Arrow and I called Adex that the Senate President was going to Offa.”
“I went with my Lexus SUV to pick them and we went to Offa and on getting there, not quite 10-15 minutes, the Senate President was done. After he was done with the Olofa, he said he was going to Ilorin and we followed him. When we got to a village, Eleyeoka, he stopped to relieve himself. Senator Ibrahim Rafiu (Saraki’s friend) then gave us N50,000; he gave the money to me,” the suspect narrated.
