The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and the Kwara State Governor, H. E. Abdulfatah Ahmed have denied association with the armed robbers who killed 33 persons during the bank robbery at Offa in April.
In a statement signed by Saraki’s spokesperson, Yusuph Olaniyonu, the claim is a “baseless allegation and another ploy by the police to implicate” the Senate President.
Saraki said there was no way he could have been associated with armed robbery against his people.
“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.”
The Senate President instead alleged the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris of framing in order to implicate him.
“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 by me, for him to come and offer explanations on the rampant killings and violence across the country.”
Saraki promised to honor the police’s invitation without delay even though, his indictment is an “abuse of the criminal investigation process aimed at intimidating and over-overawing the legislature, thereby obstructing it from doing its work”.
Similarly, Governor Ahmed has described the allegation against him as “false”.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Muyideen Akorede, governor Ahmed said, at no point did the Kwara State government directly provide funds to any group known as “Good Boys” for any purpose.
He said, if any of the beneficiaries of their empowerment scheme used the SME credit secured from the government to purchase a vehicle which was then alleged to have been used for an act of criminality, the Kwara State Governor and indeed the state government could not be held liable for such actions since neither had prior knowledge of such intention.
He said the state neither encouraged nor supported thuggery.
Meanwhile, the police has said that, Saraki is being invited “to answer allegations indicting him from confessions of five gang leaders arrested for active participation in Offa bank robberies and killings of 33 innocent persons.”
