Saraki meets with police investigators

The Senate President Bukola Saraki on Thursday met with police investigators probing his alleged involvement in the banks robberies in Offa Kwara State.

He met with the investigators in his office and explained why he could not see them on Tuesday.

This was made known by the Special Assistant on New Media to the President of the Senate, Olu Onemola.

The police had earlier sent an invitation to Saraki to come explain his alleged role in the bank robberies, as some of the robbers were said to have confessed that they had ties with the lawmaker, and that they acted as political thugs for him.

Saraki, after the police said he could respond in writing had written to the investigators, denying any link with the robbery suspects.

However, the police in a dramatic move had extended another invitation to Saraki to report at the police headquarters the next day (Tuesday).

In what seemed a political maneuver, reports hit the airwaves on Tuesday morning that a team of security operatives blocked the Senate President on his way to honour the police invitation, in what many considered a move to prevent him from attending plenary.

However, Onemola said in a tweet on Thursday, “Further to the invitation to the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, by the Police on July 23, 2018, and his written response to them on July 24, 2018 on why he could not see them that day — today at about 1:40pm, the Senate President met with a team of investigators on the Offa Robbery case in his office.

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“Dr. Saraki, used the opportunity to reiterate the fact that he has nothing to do with either the robbery incident on April 5, 2018, or any other criminal activity.”

The Nigeria Police in a statement the same day, however, insisted that the Saraki has a case to answer and must report to the Force Intelligence Response Team, Guzape, Abuja to give more details on his alleged link to the robberies which claimed more than 33 lives.

The police also denied reports that the Senate President was exonerated in the case based on report of the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, which allegedly set him free on the grounds that it had no evidence against the senator.

Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, in a statement in Abuja, said “It is incumbent on the Force to educate the writer of the story that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of the Federation in the legal advice did not restrain or restrict the Force from investigating further, the indictments against the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki and the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfattah Ahmed by the principal suspects arrested in connection with the Offa bank robbery of 5th April, 2018.

It added that “the DPP advice did not exonerate the Senate President, it only called for further investigations into the matter.”

The statement read in part:” It is in the course of further investigations into the case that a letter of invitation dated 23rdJuly, 2018 was sent to the Senate President to appear on 24th July, 2018 at 8.00am before the Investigation Team at Intelligence Response Team office, Guzape Junction, Abuja.

“Consequently, the Force is hereby re-affirming that the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki has case to answer by virtue of the facts that the statements submitted by the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki earlier to the Investigation Team was not explicit and detailed enough, and was discovered to require further clarifications and interrogation, and coupled with the fact the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki in his statement, claimed that the full text of the statement of the suspects who indicted him in their confessional statements to the Police was not shown to him. It is therefore, imperative for the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki to report to the Police to make further statement after sighting the full text of the statement of the suspects.

“Furthermore, the Force wishes to inform the media and the public that investigation is still ongoing on the Offa bank robbery and the indictment against the Senate President from the confessions of some the arrested principal suspects, and that, there is no political influence or consideration in the matter.

“The media and the Police are veritable partners in crime prevention, protection of lives and property, and absolute compliance with the rule of law. The media are implored not to allow the pages of their esteemed publications be used to misinform the public.”

 

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