Almost all the Nigerian National Newspapers for review today report the reactions and comments that greeted the story of the Nigerian Police Press Conference held yesterday by Force PPRO, Mr Jimoh Moshood on the suspects arrested in connection with the April 5 Offa bank robberies in Kwara State.
According to the Police, the suspects confessed to be thugs of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed. The Police have however invited the duo due to the claims by the suspected bandits. The PUNCH, VANGUARD, NIGERIAN TRIBUNE and The NATION all make it their lead story.
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.”
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.
The groups gang leader, Akinnibosun in an interview with journalists said he worked as a political thug for Saraki in Kwara South, Kwara North, and Kwara Central Senatorial Districts, while he was in the Peoples’ Democratic Party. He explained that the gang assisted the Senate President to disrupt elections at polling centres his party could not win, adding that he had been working for Saraki since he was the Kwara State governor.
However in separate reactions, the Senate President and Kwara State Governor denounced being the financiers of the group. Saraki said in a statement issued by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, dismissed the allegation, describing it as baseless. He said he had no link with any band of criminals.
The Kwara Governor whose Chief of Staff, Abdulwahab Oba was alleged to have been providing guns to the robbers but was not aware of the robbery said through his media aide, Muideen Akorede that in response to a Nigeria Police statement accusing him of sponsoring political thugs allegedly linked to the Offa armed robbery incidents, described the allegations as false.
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The story is embarrassing to the Federal Republic of Nigeria that our Senate president is linked to Armed robbers case.
Nigeria Police is bad in presentation and lack professional approach. This is an insult to the office of the Senate President, not Saraki. Must investigation be made public .it is vendetta in nature