Offa robbery: Saraki has questions to answer, police insist

Bukola Saraki

The Nigeria Police Force said it had not withdrawn its invitation to President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, to report to its office over alleged criminal indictment by five suspected gang leaders involved in the recent Offa bank robbery.

Force Spokesman, ACP Jimoh Moshood, made the disclosure while briefing newsmen on the update on the alleged indictment of Saraki on Wednesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the police on Sunday, June 3, invited Saraki for questioning over alleged criminal indictment by five suspected gang leaders alleging to be his political thugs.

Saraki had twitted on his Twitter handle that the police had withdrawn the invitation for him to report to the Force Intelligence Response Team office in Guzape, Abuja.

He also said that the police had asked him to respond to the questions in writing.

“The Senate president is still under investigation in connection to the Offa bank robbery and the police will do everything possible to ensure that justice is done in this case,” Moshood told newsmen on Wednesday

The spokesman said that there was no deadline for Saraki to report to the police.

Moshood was also evasive from the possible action the police would take if Saraki failed to report to the police.

He said that the force would not be cowed or succumb to intimidation from any quarter in carrying out discreet investigation on the matter.

Moshood said that two out of the three more suspected thugs working for Saraki, mentioned by the overall gang leader of the Offa bank robbery have been arrested.

The suspects are Alhaji Kehinde Gobiri, 47, a.k.a. Captain and Oba Shuaib Olododo, 57, a.k.a Jawando, from Ilorin East and South Local Government Areas respectively.

He said that the suspects, who have admitted to the various crimes they have committed, are currently in police custody in Ilorin, Kwara.

“They are currently under investigation and will be charged to court on completion of investigation,” he said.

Moshood said that the arrest of the two suspects followed further confessions of the five gang leaders earlier arrested by the police.

The five suspects are Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran.

Moshood said that the two suspects were also arrested with firearms in the custody of the police in Ilorin, Kwara.

NAN reports that Saraki recently alleged a plot by the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to implicate him in a criminal case.