The Department of State Services (DSS) yesterday recalled half of its operatives officially allocated to Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.
This is coming ahead of Monday’s talks between Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and the nPDP team to be led by Dogara.
Saraki is also a member of nPDP, the faction that broke away from the PDP in 2013 to team up with APC for the 2015 elections.
Also, the security operatives attached to the two presiding officers of the National Assembly were directed to report to the DSS headquarters “with immediate effect”.
No reason was given for the withdrawal, although it is believed to have been at the instance of the presidency.
Reliable sources at the National Assembly have confirmed the recall of the operatives.
The nPDP had recently issued an ultimatum to APC for a meeting, complaining that it had been marginalised by the ruling party after helping them to oust the PDP from power in 2015
Meanwhile, the police high command, yesterday, confirmed that they have invited Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki over April 5, 2018, multiple bank robbery in Offa, Kwara State, during which 33 persons, including nine policemen, were killed.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, who disclosed this, also announced the arrest of the Chief of Staff to Kwara State Government House, Mr. Yusuf Abdulwahab, and the state Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed’s Personal Assistant, Political, Alabi Olalekan, as investigations over the gruesome robbery deepened.
The police claimed that five of the bandits arrested, who have made confessions during interrogations, indicted the Senate president.
The police said that it, therefore, wanted to interrogate the senator, who is Number 3 person, in the order of protocol in the country.
The police did not give a specific time when Saraki should report for questioning.
“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 gang leaders, namely; Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran and some of the other 17 suspects arrested for their direct involvement and active participation in the Offa bank robbery and the gruesome killing of 33 innocent persons which include some pregnant women and nine police personnel”, Moshood said.
The police, in the statement, appeared to have dropped hints on what they wanted to ask Saraki about, as they claimed that the five men, who were the leaders of the bandits “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, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed”.
The other hints dropped were the recovery of one Toyota Prado Jeep with Reg. No. 19KWGH belonging to the Personal Assistant, Political to the Governor of Kwara State and a sticker plate number with inscription “SARAKI” “Kwara, State of Harmony”.
According to the police, “the five gang leaders further confessed during investigation that they are political thugs under the name ‘Youth Liberation Movement’ a.k.a “Good Boys”, admitted and confessed to have been sponsored with firearms, money and operational vehicles by the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki and the Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.”
Police explained why the Chief of Staff and the Personal Assistant to Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed were also arrested, saying: “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, during the bank robbery and the killing of the 33 innocent persons was taken to Government House, Ilorin on May 16, 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.
“The exhibit vehicle was subsequently recovered from the premises of the Ministry of Environment 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 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… 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.
“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.”
Others are Adeola Abraham ‘M’ 35 year, also a gang leader, who killed five persons, and hails from Oro, Irepodun LGA, Kwara State; Salaudeen Azeez ‘M’ 49 years, gang leader, who killed two persons, and hails from Oro, Irepodun LGA, Kwara State; Niyi Ogundiran ‘M’ 37 years, gang leader, who killed two persons, and also hails from Oro, Irepodun LGA, Kwara State; and Michael Adikwu ‘M’ 30 years, a sectional gang leader, who killed 22 persons, mostly at the police station.
The rest are principal suspects, Kabiru Afolabi ‘M’ 26 years; Omoseni Kassim ‘M’ 28 years; Kayode Opadokun ‘M’ 35 years; Kazeem Abdulrasheed ‘M’ 36 years; Azeez Abdullahi ‘M’ 27 years; Adewale Popoola ‘M’ 22 years; Adetoyese Muftau ‘M’ 23 years; Alexander Reuben ‘M’ 39 years; Richard Buba Terry ‘M’ 23 years; Peter Jasper Kuunfa ‘M’ 23 years; Ikechukwu Ebuka Nnaji ‘M’ 29 years; and Moses Godwin ‘M’ 28 years.
Also in police custody are Adeola Omiyale ‘M’ 38 years from Isanlu Isin Town, Isin LGA, Kwara State; Femi Idowu ‘M’ 34 years; PA Political to Executive Governor, Kwara State, Alabi Olalekan ‘M’ 49 years; and Chief of Staff to Executive Governor, Kwara State, Yusuf Abdulwahab ‘M’ 58 years.
The police further revealed that all the exhibits recovered from the suspects include, two AK-47 rifles; two Barrette pistols; one Pump Action rifle; one Revolver pistol, which is in police custody in Ilorin; Lexus RX300 Jeep with Reg. No. Kwara, KMA 143 RM belonging to one of the gang leaders, Ayoade Akinnibosun, used for the bank robbery; Mercedes Benz – Compressor with Reg. No. Lagos LT496 KJA also belonging to Ayoade Akinnibosun and used for the bank robbery; and one Toyota Prado Jeep with Reg. No. 19KWGH, belonging to the PA Political to the Executive Governor, Kwara State, now in police custody in Ilorin.
Meanwhile, the attention of the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has been drawn to a story circulating online and apparently derived from a Press Conference addressed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Moshood Jimoh, linking him (Saraki) to the Offa robbery.
Dr. Saraki will want the entire public to disregard this claim as a baseless allegation and another ploy by the Police to implicate him by all means. “Let it be known that there is no way I could have been associated with armed robbery against my people.”
In his statement yesterday signed by his spokesperson, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Dr Saraki said being linked to the Offa robbery suspects is a plot “concocted to embarrass” him.
“When the Offa robbery incident happened, I was the first top public official to pay a visit to the place and right there in the palace of the traditional ruler, I put a call through to this same Mr. Ibrahim Idris, the IGP, requesting him to make certain specific security arrangements as demanded by the people.
“Members of the public will remember that on May 16, 2018, I alerted the Senate about the information passed on to me by my State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatai Ahmed, over a plot by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to frame me up by getting some suspected cultists arrested in Ilorin to implicate me. It is believed that the timely leakage of the plot in that case aborted the use of the suspected cultists to implicate me. Now, it is the Offa bank robbery suspects that are about to be used
“This plot is concocted to embarrass me and, in the mind of the IGP, it is his own response after his refusal to honour the invitation by the National Assembly, headed me, for him to come and offer explanations on the rampant killings and violence across the country.
“Like the earlier one, this frame-up will also fail as I hereby state categorically that I have no link with any band of criminals.
“As a person who has utmost respect for the rule of law and all constitutional institutions, when the invitation from the Police is formally extended to me, I will be ready to honour it without any delay.
“It is however sad that this abuse of the criminal investigation process aimed at intimidating and over-overawing the legislature, thereby obstructing it from doing its work, is a big threat to our democracy “, the Senate President stated.
Similarly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday declared that President Muhammadu Buhari has squandered the goodwill that brought him into power in 2015 due to his alleged abysmal failure.
PDP also affirmed that its assertion was informed by the statement credited to Buhari that he could not match the resources of the opposition ahead of the 2019 presidential election.
PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan in a statement released to newsmen in Abuja stated that “this revelation by President Buhari and his dysfunctional All Progressives Congress (APC) further portrays Mr. President and his party as mortally afraid of the PDP, having realised that the key electoral resource which our renewed PDP enjoys is the overwhelming support and goodwill of Nigerians.”
He said: “It is unfortunate that President Buhari would resort to face-saving stunts, barefaced blackmail and outright condemnation of the PDP rather than admitting his failures to fulfill campaign promises that he freely made to Nigerians”.
“President needs to know that Nigerians have become more politically sophisticated and that the only resources needed by a political party or a candidate in an election is the goodwill of the people and not financial reserves.
“President Buhari and the APC should not be surprised that Nigerians have rejected them and returned to the PDP”.
He added that: “In the last three years, the Buhari-led APC administration wrecked our resilient economy, which was thriving under the PDP; escalated hatred, violence and daily bloodletting by insurgents and marauders across our country; brought acute hunger and starvation, institutionalised siege mentality, persecution and trampling of rights of citizens while turning our nation into one of the worst places to live”.
“It is indeed pitiable that instead of seeking ways of regaining the support of Nigerians, President Buhari and his APC are engaging in needless propaganda and working on how to financially sway voters. Unfortunately, Nigerians have already moved beyond the deceits of APC.
“Indeed, President Buhari’s fixation on money politics confirms fears that the unabated syphoning of trillions of naira by the cabal at the Buhari Presidency through sleazy oil subsidy deals in the NNPC and the Ministry of Petroleum, in addition to the looting of public funds in other agencies, under the APC, are all preparatory for the manipulation of votes for President Buhari in 2019.
“Perhaps this accounts for why a government that claims to be fighting corruption is breaking new grounds in corruption-related activities.
“We want President Buhari and the sinking APC to know that the repositioned PDP will not rely on money to win the 2019 general elections. The goodwill and support of Nigerians are enough resources for our victory.
“President Buhari should therefore not think that he is addressing Nigerians of 2015, who gave him votes by listening to mere rhetoric and tales by moonlight.”