Politics
2019: As Saraki campaigns, he gets fresh summon over Offa robbery
Senate President Bukola Saraki has again been summoned to come and answer for a fresh criminal complaint leveled against him by a private lawyer in respect of the Offa, in Kwara State, bank robbery incident that left many dead earlier this year.
This came as a Grade I Area Court in Aco Estate, Lugbe, Abuja, has ordered the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to serve a summon on Saraki to appear before it in respect of the fresh criminal complaint.
The complaint was leveled against the Senate President by an Abuja-based lawyer and rights activist, Oluwatosin Ojaomo.
The activist’s lawyer had on Monday told the court that the IGP had assured that the required court papers would be served on the Senate President.
Police had earlier summoned Saraki over the robbery incident after its investigation allegedly linked the Senate President to the kingpin of the robbery operation.
Saraki, who is one of the presidential aspirants under the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is the sole defendant in the criminal complaint initiated by the private lawyer, which is marked CR/196/2018 and initiated under Section 89(5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
The lawyer is seeking among other things that Saraki should be summoned for allegedly ignoring police invitation to answer to an allegation involving the investigation of the suspects of the Offa robbery.
The complaint argued that the alleged denial of Saraki to honour police invitation amounted to obstructing a criminal investigation and disobeying a public officer carrying out a lawful responsibility.
He claimed that the alleged conduct of the Senate President was an offence punishable under Section 136 and 149 of the Penal Code Law.
Earlier on September 10, the presiding judge in the matter, Abdullahi Garuba Ogbede, had ordered the issuance of a summons on Idris after Saraki failed to appear in court.
However speaking on the matter on Monday, the complainant’s lawyer, Mr. E. S. Marcus, said he had been told by a Deputy Superintendent of Police in the Legal Unit of the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, identified as Mahmoud, that the IGP had directed the legal unit to ensure the prompt service of the court papers on Saraki before the next hearing date of October 3, 2018.
“The defendant is not in court. At the last date, the court issued a witness summons on the IGP to come and show cause why the police failed to effect service of the criminal summons, warrant of arrest and other processes on the defendant.
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“The witness summons was served on the Nigeria Police Force by the court’s registry.
“However, we received a call from DSP Mahmoud of the Legal Department of the Nigeria Police Force headquarters, that the matter has been assigned by the IGP to a particular unit of the NPF to effect the service of the summons on the defendant and arrest him.”
According to Marcus, his client, who was supposed to bear the responsibility of serving Saraki with the complaint, had to resort to seeking the IGP’s involvement in accordance with Section 122 of the ACJA, when it became difficult for him to serve the Senate President.
He said in court on Monday that the Inspector-General of Police is required, under the law, to either produce the defendant in court or attend court to explain why the defendant was absent.
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