Police say 2 more political thugs have implicated Saraki

The Nigeria Police Force has announced that Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has been implicated by two more political thugs who have admitted to working for him after he was linked to suspects involved in the robbery operation that led to the death of 33 people in Offa, Kwara state two months ago.

Nine police officers and 24 others lost their lives when a group of at least 30 armed robbers attacked Union Bank, Eco Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, First Bank, Zenith Bank and Ibolo Micro Finance Bank,as well as the Owode Police Station in Offa on April 5, 2018.

In a statement issued by Force Public Relations Officer, ACPJimoh Moshood, on Wednesday, June 6, 2018, he said two more suspects have implicated the senate president after he was previously named by the robbery gang's leader, Ayodele Akinnibosun, as their political sponsor.

During a parade of 15 of the 22 Offa robbery suspects before the press on Sunday, June 3, 2018, Akinnibosun said he had been making 'political arrangement' for Saraki and Kwara governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed for years.

He said, "I am the chairman of Liberation Youths Movement, Kwara South. My involvement with the senate president is we're his boys; we work for him at Kwara South. We're the ones that hold Kwara South for him. We've been working for him since he was Governor of Kwara.

"We mobilise and do political arrangement there (Kwara South). For example, where we can't win, we make dabaru (disruptive) arrangement there; we scatter elections if we don't win."

ALSO READ: Read confessions of Offa robbery gang leaders

The confession had led the police to extend an invitation to Saraki for questioning but the senate president later disclosed that he'd been asked to instead respond to the allegations in writing within 48 hours.

Saraki still has case to answer - Police

In ACP Moshood's latest statement issued on Wednesday, he categorically stated that the senate president still has a case to answer after new revelations emerged.

According to ACP Moshood, after the media parade on Sunday, Akinnibosun mentioned three other notorious political thugs who work for Saraki in Kwara Central. The police proceeded to arrest two of the suspects, Kehinde Gobiri (aka, Captain) and Oba Shuaib Olododo (aka, Jawando), who have both admitted to committing various crimes in Kwara Central senatorial district under the guise of political thuggery for the senate president. The third suspect, Alhaji Dona, remains at large.

During the press briefing on Sunday, ACP Moshood named the leaders of the robbery gang as Akinnibosun(aka, AY), Ibikunle Ogunleye (aka Arrow), Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, and Niyi Ogundiran, all indigenes of Oro, Irepodun local government area of Kwara. On Wednesday, he said Akinnibosun, Ogunleye and Abraham followed the senate president to the Oloffa of Offa's palace when he paid a condolence visit to the town after the bank robbery.

He further alleged that all five gang leaders have confessed to having a direct connection to Saraki and were at his daughter's recent wedding ceremony. He disclosed that they confessed to have been sponsored with firearms, money and operational vehicles by Saraki and Governor Ahmed.

He concluded that Saraki is still under investigation in connection to the Offa bank robbery and that the ongoing investigation will be driven to a logical conclusion.

He further noted that the force will not allow itself to be intimidated by the institution of the National Assembly which held a joint parliamentary session on Tuesday, June 6, where lawmakers reaffirmed a vote of no confidence passed on the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.