Again, Police invite Saraki over Offa robbery

• Plot to stall ‘defection plan’ – Saraki

About seven weeks after an earlier invitation to explain his alleged role in the Offa robbery incident, the Police, yesterday, served Senate President Bukola Saraki a formal letter of invitation asking him to clarify certain roles the suspects claimed he played in the heinous act.

The Force, in June, similarly invited Saraki for interrogation over his alleged links to the gangsters.

However, rather than appearing before the investigators, the Senate President chose to write a letter denying any link whatsoever with the suspects and their acts.

But in a fresh invitation yesterday, which was on the order of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, the Force specifically directed Saraki to appear before the Force Intelligence Response Team, at Guzape, Abuja, today at 8.00 am.

In the letter dated July 23 and addressed to the Senate President, the IGP explained that the invitation was to afford him the opportunity of clarifying his alleged relationship with the five leaders of the robbery gang.

They are; Ayoade Akinnibosun , Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran. 

The hoodlums allegedly attacked some commercial banks in Offa, Kwara state on April 5, killing nine policemen and 33 others while the operation lasted.

And as a follow-up, the police swung into action and arrested 27 suspects, and also recovered some weapons, including a sizable number of AK47 rifles.

But the IG in his letter made available to journalists last night, the IGP said, the gang leaders claimed they were political thugs to Saraki, and that “the Senate President supplies arms and money to the thugs; that everyone in Kwara Central fear them because of their guns and ability to kill anybody without hesitation.

The letter with reference number, CR:3000/IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL.131/707 and titled Letter of Invitation : Case of Offa bank robbery and gruesome murder of more than 31 persons and snatching of 21 AK47 rifles on April 5, 2018, read in part: “I refer to this office letter CR:3000/IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL./130/571, dated June 4, 2018, and your letter of response NASS/8th/S/SP/IGP/15/6/18, dated 7th June, 2018, on the above subject matter (copies attached), and to further restate as follows:

“Recall that the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) is investigating a case of armed robbery which occurred on April 5, 2018 during which a gang of dare devil armed robbers, stormed Offa, Kwara state and attacked a Police Station, robbed six banks namely; First Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Ecobank, Zenith Bank, Union Bank and Ibolo Micro Finance Bank, killed over 31 persons, including nine police officers and pregnant women and snatched 21 AK47 rifles.

“During the investigation of the armed robbery by the Intelligence Response Team headed by detective Ibrahim Adetunji Sheriff, CCTV footage of the armed robbery 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 Michael 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 armed robbery.”

The letter further stated that, “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 Jeep, used by the gang leader (Ayoade Akinnibosun), has a sticker plate number “‘SARAKI’ Kwara State ofHarmony”.

 “The Lexus Jeep was parked in the Government House after the arrest of Ayoade 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 “SARAKI Kwara State of Harmony” from the Lexus jeep and quickly registered it in the name of the suspect, six days after the suspect has been arrested by the police.

“Specifically, Mr. Ayoade Akinnibosun, 27, in his confessional statement, stated that “members of his group are political thugs working for Senator Bukola Saraki and Governor of Kwara state.

“That he is the head of the political thugs named Youths Liberation Movement covering about seven local government areas of Kwara South. That he gets vehicle and monetary gifts etc from Senator Bukola Saraki through the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kwara state; that the last money he got directly from Senator Bukola Saraki was N500,000.

“He made mention of some other thugs in Kwara Central with guns which Senator Bukola Saraki is sponsoring as Alhaji Alawo, Alhaji Dona, Alhaji Jawando among others, that Senator Bukola Saraki supplies the arms and vehicles to the thugs; that everyone in Kwara Central fear them because of their guns and ability to kill anybody without hesitation.

“Furthermore, the suspect Ayoade Akinnibosun stated that the date you Senator Saraki visited Offa in sympathy with the victims to the palace of the Oba, that he and two other gang members were with you in the convoy.”

IGP Idris noted that, “in your response to the above allegations, you stated “by virtue of my participation in politics, I have a large followership which makes it impossible for me to know all of them.

“I can say categorically that I am in no way associated with the vehicle mentioned in your letter nor have I given any arms to any thug or other persons in Kwara state or anywhere else. For the records, your letter under reference did not include the full text of the statements made by the accused persons

“After a careful perusal of your letter to the police, it was discovered that the statement requires further clarification and coupled with the fact that you stated that the full text of the statements of the suspects were not shown to you, it is imperative you report to the police to make further statements after giving you the full text of the statements of the suspects.

“It is in line with the above that you are requested to report to the Head of the Investigation Team – Ibrahim Adetunji Sheriff, at the Intelligence Response Team, at Guzape Junction, Asokoro Extension, Abuja on July 24, 2018, at 8am for further investigation on the matter.”

But in swift reaction, Senate President Saraki has described the invitation as an afterthought designed to hold him and his associates back in the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Speaking through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, yesterday, the Senate President said he had it on good authority that the police had already decided the suspects would be arraigned in court in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Wednesday.

He said the choice of these suspects was based on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mohammed U.E, and that the turnaround to invite him was a ploy aimed at scoring cheap political points.

“I have been reliably informed that the police invitation was planned by the 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 politicized their investigations into the Offa robbery incident. They have turned it into an instrument for the party in power to suppress perceived opponents, witch-hunt 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 activity. 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 membersare 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,” Saraki was further quoted in the late night statement.