Offa bank robbery: Saraki has case to answer – Force Headquarters

The Force Headquarters says Senate President Bukola Saraki has a case to answer in connection with the April 5 armed bank robbery in Offa, Kwara, which claimed 31 lives.

A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Ag. DCP Jimoh Moshood, issued on Thursday in Abuja, referred to an online publication which reported that there was no evidence that linked the Senate President and Gov. Abdulfattah Ahmed of Kwara to the robbery that occurred on April 5.

Moshood said the publication quoted the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of the Federation as having made the statement in a legal advice in the matter.

He said the DPP 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’’.

He also said that the DPP’s advice did not exonerate the Senate President in the matter, but that it only called for further investigations into the issue.

Moshood said that it was in the course of further investigations into the case that a letter of invitation dated July 23 was sent to the Senate President to appear before the Investigation Team at Intelligence Response Team office, Guzape Junction, Abuja, on July 24 at 8 a.m.

“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.

“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.’’

The Force Spokesman further said that investigation was ongoing into the bank robbery and the indictment against the Senate President from the confessions of some of the arrested principal suspects.

He said there was no political influence or consideration in the matter.