Saraki explains alleged link to criminal gang that killed 33

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has officially responded in writing to his alleged links with the criminal gang that killed 33 people during a robbery operation in Offa, Kwara in April.

Nine police officers and 24 others lost their lives when a group of around 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 Stationin Offa on April 5, 2018.

When 15 of the suspects were paraded on Sunday, June 3, alleged mastermind, Ayodele Akinnibosun (aka, AY), confessed that Saraki and Kwara state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, are his political sponsors.

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."

Even though the Police initially invited the senate president to show up at the Force Intelligence Response Team office in Guzape, Abuja for questioning, Saraki revealed on Monday, June 4, that he'd been asked to instead respond to the allegations in writing within 48 hours.

On Wednesday, June 7, he took to his Twitter account to announce that he has sent a letter to the police in response to the allegations.

He posted, "In line with their request, earlier today, the Police received my response to their letter on the investigation into the Offa robbery case."

ALSO READ: Watch footage of Offa bank robbery that claimed over 30 lives

Fallout of allegations againt Saraki

Since he was accused of links to the criminal gang, Saraki presided over a joint session of the National Assembly on Tuesday, June 5, with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and lawmakers reaffirmed a vote of no confidence passed on the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

On Wednesday, the police announced that the senate president has been implicated by two more political thugs who have admitted to working for him.

Akinnibosun had allegedly 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.