The police have invited the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, over the Offa bank robberies on April 5 during which some policemen were killed and millions of naira stolen.
He was asked to report to the Force Intelligence Response Team Office at Guzape, Abuja to answer to the allegations reportedly levelled against him by five alleged gang leaders involved in the robberies at First Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Ecobank, Zenith, Union Bank and Ibolo Micro-Finance Bank, all in Offa, Kwara State.
The alleged gang leaders include Ayoade Akinnibosun, 37; Ibikunle Ogunleye,36; Adeola Abraham, 35; Salawudeen Azeez, 49; Niyi Ogundiran, 37 and 17 suspects arrested for direct involvement and active participation in the heist in which nine policemen and 33 persons including some pregnant women were killed.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, announced this in Abuja on Sunday while parading the suspects arrested in connection with the multiple robberies.
Apart from the gang leaders, other principal suspects said to have implicated Saraki in their confessions are Michael Adikwu, 30, who allegedly killed 22 persons at the police station, Kabiru Afolabi,26;Omoseni Kassim,28; Kayode Opadokun,35; Kazeem Abdulrasheed, 36; Azeez Abdullahi, 27 and Adewale Popoola, 22.
Others are Adetoyese Muftau, 23; Alexander Reuben, 39; Richard Terry, 23; Peter Kuunfa, 23; Ikechukwu Nnaji, 29; Moses Godwin, 28; Adeola Omiyale, 38; Femi Idowu, 34; Alabi Olalekan, 49 (Personal Assistant, (Political), to the Kwara State Governor) and Yusuf Abdulwahab, 58, Chief of Staff to the Kwara State Governor.
Moshood stated that the arrest of the gang leaders and others was made possible after the arrest of Ogunleye and Adikwu whose images were captured by the Closed Circuit Television camera at one of the banks which were circulated to the media and the public.
He explained that two AK47 rifles, two beretta pistols, one revolver, and one Toyota Lexus RX300 SUV with Kwara number plate, KMA 143 RM belonging to Akinnibosun used in the robbery were recovered.
Other exhibits, he added, included a Mercedes Benz car with Lagos registration number, LT496 KJA also belonging to Akinnibosun, Toyota Prado SUV with number plate 19KWGH belonging to Olalekan, a Toyota Camry Saloon Car with number LRN 481 FE and the sum of N600,000.
Four mobile handsets and one sticker number plate with the inscription, “SARAKI” “Kwara, State of Harmony,” were also said to have been recovered from the suspects.
The police spokesman said, “The gang leaders namely, Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran and some of the other 17 suspects arrested for direct involvement and active participation in the Offa bank robberies admitted, confessed and volunteered statements that they were political thugs of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki and the Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.”
Moshood stated that the suspects also admitted to have stolen millions of naira from the banks and 21 AK47 rifles from the armoury of the police divisional headquarters, Offa, noting that they gave detailed information about how they planned and carried out the robberies.
He stated, “The five gang leaders further confessed during investigation that they are political thugs under the name Youth Liberation Movement aka “Good Boys” and confessed to have been sponsored with firearms, money and operational vehicles by the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, and the Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.
“Meanwhile, the Senate President, Senator 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 gang leaders,” the police stated.
Moshood narrated that investigations indicated that the Lexus SUV with the sticker, ‘SARAKI’ ‘Kwara, State of Harmony,’ used during the bank robberies was hidden on the premises of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in Ilorin, Kwara State, while the sticker was replaced with number plate, Kwara, KMA 143 RM.
He stated that the sticker was recovered from one Adeola Omiyale who drove the vehicle to the Government House, Ilorin after the robberies on instructions of Olalekan, the Personal Assistant to the Kwara State Governor “who was privy to information that the police are looking for the Lexus SUV as an exhibit.”
The police spokesman stated, “The Personal Assistant (Political) is currently in police custody, and he has made a statement, which is assisting the police in further investigations into the case.
“A revolver pistol and pump action gun were recovered by the Police Investigation Team from Olalekan’s farm where he directed his brother to hide them after his arrest.”
In order to conceal evidence, the police said Abdulwahab, the Chief of Staff to the Kwara State Governor, who is in custody, arranged for the removal of the sticker number plate from the exhibit vehicle and also registered the SUV to Akinnibosun who was already in custody for more than six days before the registration of the vehicle.
Moshood stated that investigation was ongoing and effort was being intensified for the arrest of other suspects, adding that all those involved in the crime would be arraigned in court for prosecution on completion of investigations.
