Senate President Bukola Saraki. Twitter
The Spokesperson of the Nigeria Police, ACP Jimoh Moshoog, has insisted that Senate President Bukola Saraki has a case to answer over the bank robbery in Offa, Kwara State.
In a statement made available to newsmen, Moshood dismissed reports that Saraki was exonerated in the case based on a report from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) which allegedly set him free on the grounds that it had no evidence against the senator.
The statement reads: “It is incumbent on the Force to educate the writer of the story that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of the Federation 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, “the statement said. It added that” the DPP advice did not exonerate the Senate President, it only called for further investigations into the matter.
“It is in the course of further investigations into the case that a letter of invitation dated 23rd July, 2018 was sent to the Senate President to appear on 24th July, 2018 at 8.00am before the Investigation Team at Intelligence Response Team office, Guzape Junction, Abuja.
“Consequently, the Force is hereby re-affirming that the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki has 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.
“Furthermore, the Force wishes to inform the media and the public that investigation is still ongoing on the Offa bank robbery and the indictment against the Senate President from the confessions of some the arrested principal suspects, and that, there is no political influence or consideration in the matter.”
Famzn News had reported that Saraki was on Thursday quizzed in his office by investigators from the office of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) over his alleged involvement in the deadly bank robberies in Offa.
The police operatives interrogated Saraki 48 hours after he declined to show up at the office of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT).