- Senate President Bukola Saraki has accused the Nigerian Police of politicising the investigation into Offa bank robbery incidents
- Saraki claim the invitation extended to him by the police is a plot to harass him to stay in APC
- He added that there is a plot by the police boss to detain him to prevent senators and House of Representatives members from leaving APC
Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki has stated that the invitation to him by the police to report to a station in Guzape over the Offa robbery investigation is a mere afterthought which is designed to achieve political purpose.
Saraki in a statement sent to NAIJ.com by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, stated that he has it on good authority that the Police had already decided on the suspects to arraign in court in Ilorin, Kwara state on Wednesday based on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mohammed U.E. and that the turn around to invite him was a ploy aimed at scoring cheap political points.
He said: "I have been reliably informed that the police invitation was planned by IG as a ploy to stop an alleged plan by some Senators and House of Representatives members from defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC). It was also said that if I was detained between Tuesday and Wednesday, that will abort the so-called defection plan.
READ ALSO: Breaking: R-APC chairman, Buba Galadima, son in auto crash (photos)
"While I continue to maintain that the issue of my position on the 2019 elections is not a personal decision for me alone to make, it should be noted that all these concoctions and evil plot cannot deter me. Those behind this fresh assault will fail as I have nothing to do with the robbery incident or any criminal matter for that matter.
"I am aware that following a request made by the Police on June 13, 2018 to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Fedeeation had written a legal advice dated June 22, 2018, in which he stated on page 5, paragraph (f) that "For the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged office and the suspects".
"The Police have obviously corrupted and politicized their investigations into the Offa robbery incident. They have turned it into an instrument for the party in power to suppress perceived opponents, witchunt issue for blackmailing people from freely choosing which platform on which they want to pursue their ambition and a matter for harassing the people whose exit from APC would harm the chances of the party in the forthcoming elections.
"I want to make it apparent that I have no hand in either the robbery incident or any criminal acitivity. The Police in their haste to embarrass me sent the invitation to me at 8pm and requested that I report to the station by 8am tomorrow morning. This obviously demonstrated their desperation as I do not see why they are now in a hurry.
"They also stated in today's letter that because in my response of June 7, 2018 to their own letter written on June 4, 2018, I stated that I was responding simply to the contents of the letter and that the full text of the statement made by the arrested suspects which they claimed indicted me was not made available to me, they were now including the suspects statements in the current letter. Yet, instead of including the suspects' statements, they only attached two copies of my own letter to the invitation. No suspects statement was made available.
"This plot aimed at compelling me and my associates to stay in a party where members are criminalised without just cause, where injustice is perpetrated at the highest level and where there is no respect for constitutionalism is an exercise in futility and it will fail.
"Once again, my confidence in God and our judicial system remains intact and unshaken. The truth shall also prevail in this case."
PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigeria’s #1 news app
Recall that NAIJ.com earlier reported that the inspector general of police, Ibrahim Idris has sent a letter to Senate president, Bukola Saraki asking him to appear at the office of intelligence response team in Abuja.
The senate president was summoned over the robbery incident which took place in Offa Kwara state in April. In the letter which was sent to Saraki on Monday, July 23, the Senate president was asked to appear at 8am on Tuesday, July 24 “for further investigation”.
The police had earlier said the suspects arrested in connection to the robbery confessed that they were Saraki’s thugs.
Nigeria News: Offa bank robbery - The untold story (NAIJ EXCLUSIVE) | - on NAIJ.com TV:
Source: Naija.ng
