Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Nigerian Police Force headquarters in Abuja has invited Senate President Bukola Saraki for questioning over the recent bank robbery attacks and killings at Offa, Kwara State.
Saraki is to report to the Louis Edet House, Police Force headquarters in Abuja for questioning regarding the matter.
Force public relations officer Jimoh Moshood, who made this known at a briefing, said Saraki’s invitation followed confessional statements by arrested suspects of the bank robbery who named Saraki and Kwara State Governor Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed as their sponsors.
The spokesman, however, did not indicate when the Senate President is expected to appear.
Jimoh, parading 13 suspects who allegedly carried out the daring robbery, said the Senate President is expected to report to the Force Intelligence Response Team office at Guzape, Abuja, to answer to the allegations levelled against him by the confessions of five leaders of the robbery gang.
The police spokesman gave the names of the five gang leaders as Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran, and some seventeen other suspects arrested for direct involvement and active participation in the robbery and the gruesome murder of 33 innocent persons, among them pregnant women and nine police personnel.
Jimoh, said that: “In the course of discreet investigation into the confessions of these five (5) gang leaders and the other seventeen (17) principal suspects, a Lexus jeep GX-300 (Ash Colour) with a sticker plate number with inscription “SARAKI” “Kwara, State of Harmony” used by the gang leader (Ayoade Akinnibosun ‘M’, 37Yrs) during the bank robbery and the killing of the thirty three (33) innocent persons was taken to Government House, Ilorin on 16th May, 2018 where the sticker plate number with inscription “SARAKI” “Kwara, State of Harmony” was removed before another plate number (Reg. No. Kwara, KMA 143 RM) registered in the name of Ayoade Akinnibosun. The overall commander of the Offa Bank Robbery was then attached to the vehicle to cover up the identity of the said vehicle.
He added that: “The exhibit vehicle was subsequently recovered from the premises of the Min. of Environmental and Forestry in Ilorin, Kwara State. While the sticker plate number with inscription “SARAKI” “Kwara, State of Harmony” removed from the vehicle was recovered from one Adeola Omiyale who drove the said Lexus Jeep to Government House, Ilorin, immediately after the Bank Robbery.
The spokesman further stated that: “The Personal Assistant (Political) to the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Mr. Alabi Olalekan, who is privy to information that the Police is looking for the Lexus Jeep as an exhibit used in the Offa Bank Robbery and the killings of thirty three (33) innocent persons, directed one Adeola Omiyale to relocate the Lexus Jeep to Government House, Ilorin.
“The PA (Political) is currently in Police custody and has made useful statement assisting the Police in further investigation into the case. A revolver pistol and pump action gun were recovered by the Police Investigation Team from the Personal Assistant (Political) to the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Mr. Alabi Olalekan’s farm, where he directed his brother to hide them after his arrest by the Police.
He went on to reveal that: “In order to conceal evidence, the Chief of Staff to the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Mr. Yusuf Abdulwahab, who has been arrested and taken into Police custody, arranged the removal of the sticker plate number with inscription “SARAKI” “Kwara, State of Harmony” from the exhibit vehicle and also registered the exhibit Lexus Jeep used in the Offa Bank Robbery and the killings of thirty three (33) innocent persons in the name of Ayoade Akinnibosun, the overall gang commander of the Offa Bank Robbery, while the Ayoade Akinnibosun was already in Police custody for more than six (6) days before the registration of the vehicle.”
Investigation is ongoing and efforts are being intensified to arrest other suspects still at large. All suspects involved will be arraigned in court for prosecution on completion of investigation.
“Meanwhile, the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki, is being invited by the Nigeria Police Force to report to the Force Intelligence Response Team office at Guzape, Abuja to answer to the allegations levelled against him from the confessions of the five (5) gang leaders, namely: Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran and some of the other seventeen (17) suspects arrested for direct involvement and active participation in the Offa Bank Robbery and the gruesome killing of thirty three (33) innocent persons which includes some pregnant women and nine (9) Police personnel,” the Police stated.
Jimoh, who gave a vivid account of the investigation that led to the arrest of the suspect said:
“The investigation into the Offa Bank Robbery and gruesome killings of more than thirty three (33) innocent persons in Offa, Kwara State on the 5th April, 2018 directed by the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim K. Idris, NPM, mni, has made significant progress, successes and more revelations have been recorded. The gang leaders and some of the principal suspects arrested for their active participation in the robbery and the killing of innocent persons have made confessional statements admitting to the various criminal roles they and their sponsors played in this dastardly and heinous crime.
“The five (5) gang leaders, namely; Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran and some of the other seventeen (17) suspects arrested for direct involvement and active participation in the Offa Bank Robbery and the gruesome killing of thirty three (33) innocent persons (which includes some pregnant women and nine (9) police personnel) admitted, confessed and volunteered statements that they were political thugs of the Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Sen. Bukola Saraki, and the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Alh. Abdulfatah Ahmed.
“The arrests of the above mentioned five (5) gang leaders and seventeen (17) others were made possible after the arrest of two principal suspects (Kunle Ogunleye aka ‘Arrow’, 35yrs, and Michael Adikwu, an ex-convict), whose pictures captured by CCTV in one of the banks during the bank robbery were circulated to the media and the public. The two (2) principal suspects confessed to be among the suspects led by the five (5) gang leaders listed in paragraph 2 above to carry out the Offa Bank Robbery, the attack on the Divisional Police Headquarters, Offa, and the killings of thirty three (33) innocent persons on the 5th of April, 2018.
“During interrogation, the five (5) gang leaders mentioned in paragraph 2 further confessed and volunteered statements that they carried out the bank robberies, the attack on the Divisional Police Headquarters in Offa and the killings of thirty three (33) innocent persons during the robbery of the following six (6) banks (i) First Bank Offa (ii) Guarantee Trust Bank Offa (iii) ECO Bank Offa (iv) Zenith Bank Offa (v) Union Bank Offa (vi) Ibolo Micro Finance Bank Offa and (vii) the Divisional Police Headquarters, Offa on 5th April, 2018.
“Millions of Naira from the Banks and Twenty One (21) AK47 rifles belonging to the Nigeria Police Force in the Armoury of the Police Divisional Headquarters, Offa were admitted to have been carted away by the five (5) gang leaders and the other seventeen (17) principal suspects during the banks robbery.
“The five (5) gang leaders confessed and volunteered statements to the Police investigators, giving a clear account of how they planned and carried out the banks robbery operation in Offa, the attack on the Police Division in Offa and how they killed the thirty three (33) innocent persons during the robbery.
“The Nigeria Police Force will continue to ensure that the rule of law prevails in every case under Police investigation and every offender is brought to justice,” the police spokesman concluded.
It is judgment day- God has thrown the Sword in-between the enemy and against the enemy. God given Victory is the natives’. Only the Sword decides. God Is With Us!!!