Offa Robberies: Police Questions Saraki In National Assembly

Senate President Bukola Saraki & IGP Ibrahim Idris (Photo Credits: Vanguard Ngr)

Senate President Bukola Saraki has been interrogated by the Nigeria Police in his office on Thursdays over his alleged involvement in Offa, Kwara State, bank robbery.

Saraki met with a group of detectives from the Intelligence Response Team of the Police in his office in the National Assembly.

According to a source, Saraki was grilled for almost two hours as he gave answers to questions raised by the police investigation team.

Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris on Monday wrote to request Saraki’s appearance on Tuesday to clear himself of alleged relationship with five principal suspects in the Offa bank robbery investigation.

The robbery claimed the lives of 33 persons including policemen.

The senate president wrote to the police to implore them to visit him in the office if they have any question to answer concerning his involvement in the robbery as directed by the president, after he failed to honour the invite of the police.

Apparently in compliance with President Buhari’s directive that Saraki should either be quizzed in his office or asked to give written information, the IGP drafted his officials to Saraki’s office to quiz him on the incident.

The Spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, Jimoh Moshood in a statement refuted the claims by online news media that the Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami advised the police against pressing any charges against the Senate President for lack of evidence, but instead the Minister of Justice recommended further investigation.

“The DPP’s advice did not exonerate the Senate President; it only called for further investigations into the matter

“It is in the course of further investigations into the case that a letter of invitation dated 23rd July, 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 a 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.

“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 of the arrested principal suspects, and that, there is no political influence or consideration in the matter.” Moshood said.