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Offa robbery: Group backs police over probe of Saraki

Published

8 years ago

June 6, 2018

A group in Offa, Kwara state has thrown its weight behind the police in its move to probe the Senate President, Bukola Saraki over his connections with some suspects involved in the violent robbery attack on Offa town where over thirty people were killed.

Muyideen Babalola, the spokesperson for the Association of Concerned Offa Indigenes Home and Abroad, said the bid to probe Saraki was an answer to the people’s prayers.

The protesters, who marched along the road leading to the palace of Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi, in the Idi-Ogun area, went about with placards most of which read: ‘Injustice is dead, justice must prevail,’ ‘RIP to the victims, Saraki is questionable,’ and ‘We cannot trade on injustice.”

Babalola, in his speech on the development said that Saraki’s invitation by the police was not only proper, but also an answer to the people’s prayers.

“The obnoxious act of April 5, 2018, when armed robbers came to Offa, killing over 50 of our dear sons and daughters and some police officers, has taken a toll on us.

“In whatever we do, our past has a way of catching up with us like a shadow. God has answered our prayers in Offa. Our cries have been heard.”

Another member of the group’s executive, Femi Whyte, remarked that they were marching for justice, alleging that the blood of the dead was crying for revenge.

Whyte said: “Since April 5 that the robbers attacked Offa… economic activities of the community have been adversely affected, as banks have remained closed. Our people are being subjected to the pain of travelling to other towns to access money.

“Due to the unrelenting efforts of the Nigeria Police Force… the miscreants have been nabbed… and in the course of police investigation, some top politicians were mentioned to be remotely connected with the robbery.

“But to our dismay and sadness, these politicians mobilised some political jobbers to protest in their favour to jeopardise the ongoing investigation by the Nigeria police.

He said that residents in the area have thrown their weight behind the police to investigate Saraki’s involvement in the robbery.

However, some leaders of the Offa community have asked for caution in the move to form a formidable force towards Saraki’s probe.

Alhaji Najimdeen Yasin, the national president of the Offa descendants union, and the secretary general, Chief Wosilat Macarthy, in a statement said the community would appreciate thoroughness to ensure justice.

They said that the Offa people had enjoyed “kind gesture and benevolence” from Saraki, stating that the community held Saraki in high esteem. They urged all social media platforms and media organisations to validate all reports before dissemination.