The following warnings occurred:
Warning [2] Undefined array key "avatartype" - Line: 783 - File: global.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/global.php 783 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 26 require_once
Warning [2] Undefined array key "avatartype" - Line: 783 - File: global.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/global.php 783 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 26 require_once
Warning [2] Undefined variable $awaitingusers - Line: 16 - File: global.php(844) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/global.php(844) : eval()'d code 16 errorHandler->error
/global.php 844 eval
/showthread.php 26 require_once
Warning [2] Undefined array key "mybb" - Line: 1952 - File: inc/functions.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions.php 1952 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_indicators.php 41 my_set_array_cookie
/showthread.php 629 mark_thread_read
Warning [2] Undefined property: MyLanguage::$ratings_update_error - Line: 5 - File: showthread.php(732) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/showthread.php(732) : eval()'d code 5 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 732 eval
Warning [2] Undefined array key "additionalgroups" - Line: 7162 - File: inc/functions.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions.php 7162 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_user.php 844 is_member
/inc/functions_post.php 406 purgespammer_show
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "profilefield" - Line: 6 - File: inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code 6 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_post.php 474 eval
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showimages" - Line: 741 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 741 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showvideos" - Line: 746 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 746 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "additionalgroups" - Line: 7162 - File: inc/functions.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions.php 7162 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_user.php 844 is_member
/inc/functions_post.php 406 purgespammer_show
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "profilefield" - Line: 6 - File: inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code 6 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_post.php 474 eval
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showimages" - Line: 741 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 741 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showvideos" - Line: 746 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 746 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "additionalgroups" - Line: 7162 - File: inc/functions.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions.php 7162 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_user.php 844 is_member
/inc/functions_post.php 406 purgespammer_show
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "profilefield" - Line: 6 - File: inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code 6 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_post.php 474 eval
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showimages" - Line: 741 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 741 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showvideos" - Line: 746 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 746 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "additionalgroups" - Line: 7162 - File: inc/functions.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions.php 7162 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_user.php 844 is_member
/inc/functions_post.php 406 purgespammer_show
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "profilefield" - Line: 6 - File: inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code 6 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_post.php 474 eval
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showimages" - Line: 741 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 741 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showvideos" - Line: 746 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 746 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "additionalgroups" - Line: 7162 - File: inc/functions.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions.php 7162 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_user.php 844 is_member
/inc/functions_post.php 406 purgespammer_show
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "profilefield" - Line: 6 - File: inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code 6 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_post.php 474 eval
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showimages" - Line: 741 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 741 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showvideos" - Line: 746 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 746 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "additionalgroups" - Line: 7162 - File: inc/functions.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions.php 7162 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_user.php 844 is_member
/inc/functions_post.php 406 purgespammer_show
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "profilefield" - Line: 6 - File: inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code 6 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_post.php 474 eval
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showimages" - Line: 741 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 741 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showvideos" - Line: 746 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 746 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "additionalgroups" - Line: 7162 - File: inc/functions.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions.php 7162 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_user.php 844 is_member
/inc/functions_post.php 406 purgespammer_show
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "profilefield" - Line: 6 - File: inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code 6 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_post.php 474 eval
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showimages" - Line: 741 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 741 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showvideos" - Line: 746 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 746 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "additionalgroups" - Line: 7162 - File: inc/functions.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions.php 7162 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_user.php 844 is_member
/inc/functions_post.php 406 purgespammer_show
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "profilefield" - Line: 6 - File: inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php(474) : eval()'d code 6 errorHandler->error
/inc/functions_post.php 474 eval
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showimages" - Line: 741 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 741 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "showvideos" - Line: 746 - File: inc/functions_post.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/inc/functions_post.php 746 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1070 build_postbit
Warning [2] Undefined array key "threadprefix" - Line: 4 - File: showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code 4 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1168 eval
Warning [2] Undefined array key "threadprefix" - Line: 4 - File: showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code 4 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1168 eval
Warning [2] Undefined array key "threadprefix" - Line: 4 - File: showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code 4 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1168 eval
Warning [2] Undefined array key "threadprefix" - Line: 4 - File: showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code 4 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1168 eval
Warning [2] Undefined array key "threadprefix" - Line: 4 - File: showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code 4 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1168 eval
Warning [2] Undefined array key "threadprefix" - Line: 4 - File: showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code 4 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1168 eval
Warning [2] Undefined array key "threadprefix" - Line: 4 - File: showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code 4 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1168 eval
Warning [2] Undefined array key "threadprefix" - Line: 4 - File: showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/showthread.php(1168) : eval()'d code 4 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1168 eval
Warning [2] Undefined array key "invisible" - Line: 1506 - File: showthread.php PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/showthread.php 1506 errorHandler->error
Warning [2] Undefined variable $threadnotesbox - Line: 30 - File: showthread.php(1533) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/showthread.php(1533) : eval()'d code 30 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1533 eval
Warning [2] Undefined variable $addremovesubscription - Line: 79 - File: showthread.php(1533) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/showthread.php(1533) : eval()'d code 79 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1533 eval
Warning [2] Undefined variable $forumjump - Line: 86 - File: showthread.php(1533) : eval()'d code PHP 8.0.30 (Linux)
File Line Function
/showthread.php(1533) : eval()'d code 86 errorHandler->error
/showthread.php 1533 eval



Guest Join UsHey Guest,
Welcome, Join our awesome community where you can discuss on various topics :-
Some point about your community
Some point about your community
Some point about your community
Some point about your community
Some point about your community
Some point about your community
Some point about your community
Much More.. or Create an Account


{myadvertisements[zone_1]}
Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Offa Robbery: AGF Malami clears Saraki, says police lack evidence against Him
#1
Nigeria’s Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami, has told the police that there was no evidence that linked Senate President Bukola Saraki and Kwara State Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed to the armed robbery attack that left 31 persons dead in Offa, Kwara State, in April, PREMIUM TIMES can now confirm.

Mr Malami advised in a June 22 letter to the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, that the police would need to ramp up their investigation and also painstakingly explore all critical areas before identifying the Senate President as a suspect in the carnage, much less filing charges against him.

Yusuf Abdulwahab, Mr Ahmed’s chief of staff who was amongst state officials arrested for allegedly conspiring with the prime suspects, was also cleared, with the prosecutor saying “no evidence is credible enough to sustain any charge based on any offence known to law against him.”

The attorney-general’s office said only six prime suspects should be charged to court for armed robbery and murder which could draw capital punishment upon conviction. Olalekan Alabi, a personal assistant to Mr Ahmed, was also recommended for trial, but only on lesser charges of illegal possession of arms.

Mr Saraki hinted at the existence of the letter on Monday night as part of a fierce response to Mr Idris’ latest summon to him. The Senate President said the invitation, which he was asked to honour by 8:00 a.m. today, was unnecessary because the Director of Public Prosecutions had already informed the police that there were no sufficient bases to keep dragging him into the armed robbery investigation.

“I am aware that following a request made by the Police on June 13, 2018 to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Federation had written a legal advice dated June 22, 2018, in which he stated on page 5, paragraph (f) that “For the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged office and the suspects,” Mr Saraki said in the Monday night statement.

At least five banks were raided and substantial amount of cash carted away when armed robbers stormed the polytechnic town on April 5. The police initially said 17 people were killed in the attack, including nine police officers, but continued to revise the figure upwards, apparently as some of those receiving treatments for critical wounds were passing on.

PREMIUM TIMES obtained a copy of the letter on Tuesday, which was signed for Mr Malami by DPP Mohammed Umar and confirmed exactly what Mr Saraki disclosed.

Mr Umar examined the crime and the suspects the police lined up in their first information report submitted to the attorney-general’s office for prosecution, and came up with legal and technical suggestions about how to properly build a case that would not be discarded at a glance when the potential criminal trial gets underway.




“For the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged offence and the suspects,” the prosecutor said.

At least 12 suspects were arrested at multiple locations within the first week of the attack. Six weeks later, the police said they had taken two more suspects into custody, including the alleged mastermind Michael Adikwu, after a composite CCTV picture of the suspects was circulated by the police.

The police identified a picture one of the robbery suspects took with Mr Saraki at his daughter’s wedding last year as a key evidence that linked the Senate President to both the suspects and the crime.The police also said one of the vehicles used by the suspects had a dummy number plate with Mr Saraki’s name inscribed on it.

Also, some officials of Kwara State government were also arrested and one of the vehicles allegedly used in the robbery was found in the home of a commissioner. All the state officials denied allegations, and some were later released without charges.

Mr Saraki was initially invited for questioning in early June, but this approach was later abandoned by the police who asked him to turn in a written response to the allegations instead. The police had been largely mum about the matter, until the sudden invitation that was circulated.

In his statement Monday, Mr Saraki said he denied all allegations of involvement in the planning or execution of the robbery in his June 7 statement to the police. .

The Senate President said the police were a key actor in an elaborate, federal government-backed scheme aimed at railroading him into remaining at the ruling All Progressives Congress.

“This plot aimed at compelling me and my associates to stay in a party where members are criminalised without just cause, where injustice is perpetrated at the highest level and where there is no respect for constitutionalism is an exercise in futility and it will fail,” Mr Saraki said.


The scenes that played out throughout Tuesday largely confirmed Mr Saraki’s fears that the police were being used to executive a devious political gambit, PREMIUM TIMES found.

The Senate President had recently been freed of false and anticipatory assets declaration charges after a lengthy trial that lasted nearly three years..He insisted throughout his trial that the charges were politically-motivated and would not stand.





The first indication that the robbery investigation might have been politicised emerged when the Kwara State judiciary demanded that the suspects who were arrested and taken to Abuja over the case should be returned to the state. The institution said the state chief prosecutor had already concluded preliminary findings and had notified the court of a criminal proceeding into the case before the police abruptly seized the suspects.


While the suspects were being transferred to Abuja, Mr Saraki fired a preemptive short, alleging that the police wanted to use the suspects to implicate him. After spending days in police custody, the suspects allegedly confessed that Mr Saraki was their sponsor.

Mr Ahmed, whom the Senate President said tipped him off about the police ploy, also strongly denied all allegations he sponsored the suspects.


Authorities in Kwara contradicted the alleged confession, saying all the suspects wrote statements following their arrest in Ilorin and none of them mentioned Mr Saraki, much less incriminating him.

For the police to avoid a similar outcome with the latest allegations, they would need to work harder, the attorney-general’s office warned.

The three-pronged blanks that the police must sufficiently fill before bringing charges against Messrs Saraki and Ahmed include whether the planning and the execution of the robbery attack were carried out at their instance, knowledge or approval; whether the weapons used for the robbery attack were supplied by either of the top politicians; and any other areas that may assist in establishing that they were aiding and abetting criminal activities.


The prosecutor also said the police would need to conduct deeper investigation before any charges could be brought against Mr Abdulwahab.

Police spokesperson Jimoh Moshood did not return PREMIUM TIMES requests for comments between Tuesday and Wednesday. Mr Umar declined comments about whether the police have updated their findings since receiving his letter in June.

Fine-tuning Grey Areas

The attorney-general’s office used the larger parts of the letter to rubbish some of the facts submitted by the police and went on to offer tips on how to build a water-tight case against even the prime suspects.

The six suspects recommended for trial were: Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Ibrahim, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran and Mr Adikwu. The prosecutor said they should be charged with the offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide punishable with death.

The confession the suspects allegedly provided to the police could be used to build up evidence against them in court, the prosecutor said. He also suggested that items stolen by the robbers from the affected banks and other places would further aid in investigation, adding that ballistic tests and forensic examination should be conducted.




But in a damning rebuke of the manner with which the police handled the investigation, the prosecutor said the particulars of the crime submitted against the suspects were contradictory.

“The weapons used in the attack were different from those allegedly carted away from the police armory,” Mr Etsu said for instance.

In another case, “Michael Adikwu’s voluntary statement was not attached to the file and should not be so,” the prosecutor said.

Curiously, the prosecutor said the police should ensure that the suspects are available to face trial. This appears a subtle acknowledgement of the raging controversy around some of the suspects, especially Mr Adikwu who was alleged to have been killed in custody.

Mr Adikwu was reportedly dismissed as a police corporal following his arrest in 2012 on alleged criminal offences. He was charged to court in Kwara State for compromising police operations and releasing armed robbery suspects. He reportedly escaped from prisons in 2015 and joined armed robbery gangs.

It was not immediately clear whether he was found guilty and convicted by the court or whether he escaped from prison while still in remand as his trial was underway. PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately confirm whether he has a lawyer.

The police fiercely rejected claims that Mr Adikwu had been killed in custody to hush details that could expose potential anti-Saraki conspiracy within the police, but declined repeated demands to parade him once again for Nigerians to know he is still alive.



Premium Times

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/277780-offa-robbery-agf-malami-clears-saraki-says-police-lack-evidence-against-senate-president.html


[Image: 7468403_img20180726wa0004_jpeg7ca43b3c01...60857dff69]
Reply
{myadvertisements[zone_3]}
#2
(07-26-2018, 03:19 PM)Edoman Wrote: Nigeria’s Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami, has told the police that there was no evidence that linked Senate President Bukola Saraki and Kwara State Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed to the armed robbery attack that left 31 persons dead in Offa, Kwara State, in April, PREMIUM TIMES can now confirm.

Mr Malami advised in a June 22 letter to the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, that the police would need to ramp up their investigation and also painstakingly explore all critical areas before identifying the Senate President as a suspect in the carnage, much less filing charges against him.

Yusuf Abdulwahab, Mr Ahmed’s chief of staff who was amongst state officials arrested for allegedly conspiring with the prime suspects, was also cleared, with the prosecutor saying “no evidence is credible enough to sustain any charge based on any offence known to law against him.”

The attorney-general’s office said only six prime suspects should be charged to court for armed robbery and murder which could draw capital punishment upon conviction. Olalekan Alabi, a personal assistant to Mr Ahmed, was also recommended for trial, but only on lesser charges of illegal possession of arms.

Mr Saraki hinted at the existence of the letter on Monday night as part of a fierce response to Mr Idris’ latest summon to him. The Senate President said the invitation, which he was asked to honour by 8:00 a.m. today, was unnecessary because the Director of Public Prosecutions had already informed the police that there were no sufficient bases to keep dragging him into the armed robbery investigation.

“I am aware that following a request made by the Police on June 13, 2018 to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Federation had written a legal advice dated June 22, 2018, in which he stated on page 5, paragraph (f) that “For the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged office and the suspects,” Mr Saraki said in the Monday night statement.

At least five banks were raided and substantial amount of cash carted away when armed robbers stormed the polytechnic town on April 5. The police initially said 17 people were killed in the attack, including nine police officers, but continued to revise the figure upwards, apparently as some of those receiving treatments for critical wounds were passing on.

PREMIUM TIMES obtained a copy of the letter on Tuesday, which was signed for Mr Malami by DPP Mohammed Umar and confirmed exactly what Mr Saraki disclosed.

Mr Umar examined the crime and the suspects the police lined up in their first information report submitted to the attorney-general’s office for prosecution, and came up with legal and technical suggestions about how to properly build a case that would not be discarded at a glance when the potential criminal trial gets underway.




“For the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged offence and the suspects,” the prosecutor said.

At least 12 suspects were arrested at multiple locations within the first week of the attack. Six weeks later, the police said they had taken two more suspects into custody, including the alleged mastermind Michael Adikwu, after a composite CCTV picture of the suspects was circulated by the police.

The police identified a picture one of the robbery suspects took with Mr Saraki at his daughter’s wedding last year as a key evidence that linked the Senate President to both the suspects and the crime.The police also said one of the vehicles used by the suspects had a dummy number plate with Mr Saraki’s name inscribed on it.

Also, some officials of Kwara State government were also arrested and one of the vehicles allegedly used in the robbery was found in the home of a commissioner. All the state officials denied allegations, and some were later released without charges.

Mr Saraki was initially invited for questioning in early June, but this approach was later abandoned by the police who asked him to turn in a written response to the allegations instead. The police had been largely mum about the matter, until the sudden invitation that was circulated.

In his statement Monday, Mr Saraki said he denied all allegations of involvement in the planning or execution of the robbery in his June 7 statement to the police. .

The Senate President said the police were a key actor in an elaborate, federal government-backed scheme aimed at railroading him into remaining at the ruling All Progressives Congress.

“This plot aimed at compelling me and my associates to stay in a party where members are criminalised without just cause, where injustice is perpetrated at the highest level and where there is no respect for constitutionalism is an exercise in futility and it will fail,” Mr Saraki said.


The scenes that played out throughout Tuesday largely confirmed Mr Saraki’s fears that the police were being used to executive a devious political gambit, PREMIUM TIMES found.

The Senate President had recently been freed of false and anticipatory assets declaration charges after a lengthy trial that lasted nearly three years..He insisted throughout his trial that the charges were politically-motivated and would not stand.





The first indication that the robbery investigation might have been politicised emerged when the Kwara State judiciary demanded that the suspects who were arrested and taken to Abuja over the case should be returned to the state. The institution said the state chief prosecutor had already concluded preliminary findings and had notified the court of a criminal proceeding into the case before the police abruptly seized the suspects.


While the suspects were being transferred to Abuja, Mr Saraki fired a preemptive short, alleging that the police wanted to use the suspects to implicate him. After spending days in police custody, the suspects allegedly confessed that Mr Saraki was their sponsor.

Mr Ahmed, whom the Senate President said tipped him off about the police ploy, also strongly denied all allegations he sponsored the suspects.


Authorities in Kwara contradicted the alleged confession, saying all the suspects wrote statements following their arrest in Ilorin and none of them mentioned Mr Saraki, much less incriminating him.

For the police to avoid a similar outcome with the latest allegations, they would need to work harder, the attorney-general’s office warned.

The three-pronged blanks that the police must sufficiently fill before bringing charges against Messrs Saraki and Ahmed include whether the planning and the execution of the robbery attack were carried out at their instance, knowledge or approval; whether the weapons used for the robbery attack were supplied by either of the top politicians; and any other areas that may assist in establishing that they were aiding and abetting criminal activities.


The prosecutor also said the police would need to conduct deeper investigation before any charges could be brought against Mr Abdulwahab.

Police spokesperson Jimoh Moshood did not return PREMIUM TIMES requests for comments between Tuesday and Wednesday. Mr Umar declined comments about whether the police have updated their findings since receiving his letter in June.

Fine-tuning Grey Areas

The attorney-general’s office used the larger parts of the letter to rubbish some of the facts submitted by the police and went on to offer tips on how to build a water-tight case against even the prime suspects.

The six suspects recommended for trial were: Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Ibrahim, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran and Mr Adikwu. The prosecutor said they should be charged with the offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide punishable with death.

The confession the suspects allegedly provided to the police could be used to build up evidence against them in court, the prosecutor said. He also suggested that items stolen by the robbers from the affected banks and other places would further aid in investigation, adding that ballistic tests and forensic examination should be conducted.




But in a damning rebuke of the manner with which the police handled the investigation, the prosecutor said the particulars of the crime submitted against the suspects were contradictory.

“The weapons used in the attack were different from those allegedly carted away from the police armory,” Mr Etsu said for instance.

In another case, “Michael Adikwu’s voluntary statement was not attached to the file and should not be so,” the prosecutor said.

Curiously, the prosecutor said the police should ensure that the suspects are available to face trial. This appears a subtle acknowledgement of the raging controversy around some of the suspects, especially Mr Adikwu who was alleged to have been killed in custody.

Mr Adikwu was reportedly dismissed as a police corporal following his arrest in 2012 on alleged criminal offences. He was charged to court in Kwara State for compromising police operations and releasing armed robbery suspects. He reportedly escaped from prisons in 2015 and joined armed robbery gangs.

It was not immediately clear whether he was found guilty and convicted by the court or whether he escaped from prison while still in remand as his trial was underway. PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately confirm whether he has a lawyer.

The police fiercely rejected claims that Mr Adikwu had been killed in custody to hush details that could expose potential anti-Saraki conspiracy within the police, but declined repeated demands to parade him once again for Nigerians to know he is still alive.



Premium Times

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/277780-offa-robbery-agf-malami-clears-saraki-says-police-lack-evidence-against-senate-president.html


[Image: 7468403_img20180726wa0004_jpeg7ca43b3c01...60857dff69]

To hell with this country
Reply
{myadvertisements[zone_3]}
#3
Is Senegal still giving citizenship because am going to apply
Reply
{myadvertisements[zone_3]}
#4
Quote:For the second time, President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has written to the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, in response to his invitation to appear for an interrogation over the allegations made against him by armed robbery suspects who attacked banks in Offa, Kwara State.

The police had in June invited Saraki for questioning over the bank robberies in Offa on April 5, but the Senate President responded to the invitation in writing.

The IG, in a letter dated July 23 and addressed to the Senate President, again asked Saraki to report to the police on Tuesday at 8 am to provide further clarification on his relationship with the five leaders of the robbery gang.

Idris, in his latest letter, insisted that the gang leaders claimed they were political thugs to Saraki, adding that “the Senate President supplies arms and money to the thugs; that everyone in Kwara Central fears them because of their guns and ability to kill anybody without hesitation.”

The Senate President, however, did not honour the invitation. He had escaped the siege laid to his Maitama, Abuja residence by the operatives of the Department of State Services and men of the Nigeria Police.

Asked on Wednesday if Saraki would answer the summons by the police, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu, said his boss had responded to the police in writing.

Olaniyonu also said Saraki had answered all the questions raised by the police in his letter to the IG.

He added that Saraki’s letter was written and dispatched to the police on Tuesday, stressing that its receipt was duly acknowledged.

Olaniyonu further stated that after answering all the questions raised by the police in his letter, he did not believe that there was any further need for Saraki to go to the police personally.

“He has written a letter to them and the letter has taken care of the purpose of the invitation. He sent the letter to them yesterday (Tuesday). The letter addressed the issues raised in the invitation letter,” Olaniyonu said.



The police spokesman, Moshood Jimoh, could not be reached for comment on Saraki’s letter as he did not respond to several phone calls. He had yet to reply a text message as of the time of filing this report.

Also, it was learnt that the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, had written the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission requesting another date to appear before the commission.

It was learnt that Ekweremadu sent the letter to the EFCC on Wednesday.

A senior EFCC official told our correspondent that the senator noted that he wasn’t given ample time to honour the invitation and would, therefore, need more time.

The EFCC official said, “We received a letter from Senator Ekweremadu requesting another date to appear before us. We will respond to him in due course.”

Officials of the anti-graft agency accompanied by scores of policemen had on Tuesday laid siege to the Deputy Senate President’s home on Jim Nwobodo’s home, Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja.

The EFCC operatives had attempted to arrest Ekweremadu barely hours after inviting him.

In a letter signed by the Director of Operations of the EFCC, Mohammed Abba, with a reference number, ‘CR.3000/EFCC/DOPS/Vol.49/40 dated July 24, 2018, the commission asked the Deputy Senate President to immediately make himself available for questioning.

In the letter titled, ‘Case of Conspiracy, Abuse of Office and Money Laundering’, the anti-graft agency said the request was made pursuant to Section 38(1) of the Economic and Financial Crimes (Establishment) Act, 2004.

The letter read in part, “The commission is investigating the above-mentioned case in which your name featured prominently and the need to obtain certain clarifications from you became imperative.

“In view of the above, you are kindly requested to report and interview by the undersigned at 5 Fomela Street off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent Wuse 2, Abuja on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, at 10 am prompt.”

Ekweremadu could not be reached to confirm or deny his response to the EFCC. His Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu, was contacted via telephone on Wednesday afternoon but he asked for more time to reach out to his boss. When he was called again at 7:45 pm, he said his boss was not home.

Anichukwu had yet to reply, as of the time of filing this report, to the text message sent to him telling him about the information from the EFCC source.

In a related development, Ekweremadu has given more details on the siege to his Abuja residence by the operatives of the EFCC.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu, on Wednesday, quoted Ekweremadu as explaining the situation on Tuesday when the leaders and members of the Senate and the Peoples Democratic Party visited him after the security agents had left.

The Deputy Senate President said the security agents left at about 12:20 pm after spending about six and a half hours.

Ekweremadu said, “We anticipated that a number of our colleagues in the All Progressives Congress would defect and join the Peoples Democratic Party. In anticipation of that, the APC leadership had tried to stop them. When that didn’t happen, the first thing they did was to invite President of the Senate (Bukola Saraki) to come to the police this (Tuesday) morning. They believe that once the President of the Senate goes to the police, I would be the one to preside and probably give effect to the letter of defection.

“In anticipation of that, the police, the EFCC and other security agencies came together — about 200 of them — to stop me from going to the National Assembly. They said I should come to the EFCC to give an explanation over the things I was accused of. I agreed to follow them even though there was no prior invitation, but they were not eager to let me go to answer the invitation.

“The plan was to stop me and the President of the Senate from going to the National Assembly. Unfortunately for them, the President of the Senate was already at the Senate to preside over the plenary session.”

Meanwhile, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State on Tuesday night separately met with Saraki and Ekweremadu. While he visited the Deputy Senate President at his residence, the governor met with the Senate President at his office.

Speaking to journalists at the National Assembly, Fayose said the defections from the APC were for Nigerians and not the PDP. He said the defectors had taken a “path of honour.”

Two of the 14 senators who dumped the APC on Tuesday had denied joining the PDP. While Senator Monsurat Sunmonu (Oyo-Central) said she defected to the ADC, Senator Lanre Tejuoso (Ogun-Central) said he had yet to join another party.


http://punchng.com/offa-robberies-again-saraki-writes-ig-denies-links-with-suspects/


[Image: 7467906_img20180726045116093_jpeg1c6b808...608170c205]
Reply
{myadvertisements[zone_3]}
#5
(07-26-2018, 03:29 PM)Rover442 Wrote: Is Senegal still giving citizenship because am going to apply

u really shld consider the relocation it will be good for you.
Reply
{myadvertisements[zone_3]}
#6
Thank you please will you come with me?
Reply
{myadvertisements[zone_3]}
#7
(07-26-2018, 11:00 PM)Rover442 Wrote: Thank you  please will you come with me?

Thanks for ur offer but I love my country.
Reply
{myadvertisements[zone_3]}
#8
GISTMORE.COM

Offa Robbery: Court Issues Order Stopping Police From Arresting, Questioning Saraki


Quote:A Federal Capital Territory High Court has ordered the suspension of investigation into the alleged involvement of Senate President Bukola Saraki in the Offa Bank robbery, pending further hearing on the matter.

Over 30 people were killed in the robbery of banks in Offa, Kwara State, earlier in the year.

The court made the order following an ex-parte application filed by 10 lawyers asking the court to suspend the interrogation of Mr Saraki pending the determination of the motion brought before it.

The motion dated July 30 contained a request for the court to restrain the police or their agents from arresting, interrogating, harassing or attempting to detain Mr Saraki or infringe upon what they called his fundamental rights.

In a ruling on Wednesday, the judge, M. A. Nasir, allowed the application, ordering the police to suspend further action on issues relating to the suit pending the determination of the substantive matter on August 16.

“The respondents are directed to stay all further actions related to the suit, pending the determination of the originating motion, which is hereby fixed for hearing on August 16,” the court ruled.

Mr Saraki has been invited several times for questioning by the police since the April 5 robbery in Kwara State.

According to the police, information provided by some arrested suspects indicted Mr Saraki, resulting in a need for the senate president to explain his role in the fatal robbery.

“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 said in its first letter to Mr Saraki in June.

Following the failure of the senate president to honour the invitation, the police issued another statement asking Mr Saraki to make himself available or be arrested. Mr Saraki was later questioned by police officers at his office, after a siege at the National Assembly by security operatives prevented him from honouring the July 23 invitation.

The Senate President has denied any involvement with the suspects, describing the investigation as a plot to intimidate him.

Mr Saraki also linked the police action to his and other senators planned defection from Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress. He has since left the party for the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, questioned the evidence the police have against Mr Saraki and asked that more investigation be done
[size=undefined]

GIST FROM GISTMORE

http://gistmore.com/offa-robbery-court-issues-order-stopping-police-arresting-questioning-saraki[/size]


[Image: 7544285_bukolasaraki696x374_jpeg996abdf9...d2a85804bc]
Reply
{myadvertisements[zone_3]}


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Police arrest four suspected bandits in Niger state, recover arms Edoman 0 1,049 08-24-2021, 09:30 AM
Last Post: Edoman
  Married Kenyan police officer assaults his mistress, follows her to hospital and shoo Edoman 0 1,006 08-23-2021, 03:07 PM
Last Post: Edoman
  Police uncover 3 human heads in fridge of footballer and sports commentator (graphic Edoman 0 1,052 08-23-2021, 02:59 PM
Last Post: Edoman
  Police arrest three suspected armed robbers, recover stolen phones, dummy gun in Delt Edoman 1 1,154 08-23-2021, 02:54 PM
Last Post: Edoman
  Police arrest poly student for allegedly killing and burying his pregnant girlfriend Edoman 0 853 08-23-2021, 08:00 AM
Last Post: Edoman
  Police Arrests Adeyemi Tosin Over ₦10 Million Fraud In Oyo Edoman 0 735 08-18-2021, 11:40 AM
Last Post: Edoman
  I shot her because she refused to give us money on time - leader of four-man robbery Edoman 0 720 08-14-2021, 07:03 AM
Last Post: Edoman
  Court dismisses Evans’ N200m suit against police over seized trucks Edoman 0 691 08-12-2021, 10:42 PM
Last Post: Edoman



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)

{myadvertisements[zone_2]}

About contripeople

Contripeople forum description.

              Quick Links

              User Links

              Advertise