Senate President Bukola Saraki has reacted to the invitation by the police over the Offa bank robbery. The police today announced that they were inviting the senate president for questioning as the prime suspects in the April 5th Offa bank robbery attack have indicted him and Kwara state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed. The suspects told the police that the senate president and the state governor supplied weapons for them to carry out various attacks.
In a statement released today, Saraki reminded Nigerians that sometime in May, he alerted the public of plans by the police to indict him and his state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed in a criminal case. Saraki said the allegation is already playing out as the police is now accusing him of being involved in a robbery incident.
Saraki’s statement reacting to the invitation reads in part
”‘When the Offa robbery incident happened, he was the first top public official visit the place and right there in the palace of the traditional ruler, he call Mr. Ibrahim Idris, the IGP, requesting him to make certain specific security arrangements as demanded by the people Saraki asked the Nigerian public to disregard this claim as a baseless allegation and another ploy by the Police to implicate him by all means.
Let it be known that there is no way I could have been associated with armed robbery against my people. When the Offa robbery incident happened, I was the first top public official to pay a visit to the place and right there in the palace of the traditional ruler, I put a call through to this same Mr. Ibrahim Idris, the IGP, requesting him to make certain specific security arrangements as demanded by the people.
Members of the public will remember that on May 16, 2018, I alerted the Senate about the information passed on to me by my State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatai Ahmed, over a plot by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to frame me up by getting some suspected cultists arrested in Ilorin to implicate me. It is believed that the timely leakage of the plot in that case aborted the use of the suspected cultists to implicate me. Now, it is the Offa bank robbery suspects that are about to be used.
This plot is concocted to embarrass me and, in the mind of the IGP, it is his own response after his refusal to honour the invitation by the National Assembly, headed me, for him to come and offer explanations on the rampant killings and violence across the country. “Like the earlier one, this frame-up will also fail as I hereby state categorically that I have no link with any band of criminals.
As a person who has utmost respect for the rule of law and all constitutional institutions, when the invitation from the Police is formally extended to me, I will be ready to honour it without any delay. “It is however sad that this abuse of the criminal investigation process aimed at intimidating and over-overawing the legislature, thereby obstructing it from doing its work, is a big threat to our democracy “.