{"id":9781,"date":"2018-06-03T20:16:34","date_gmt":"2018-06-04T02:16:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nigerianews.ca\/?post_type=news&p=9781"},"modified":"2018-06-03T20:16:34","modified_gmt":"2018-06-04T02:16:34","slug":"plan-to-arrest-senate-president","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/nigerianews.ca\/news\/plan-to-arrest-senate-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Offa Robbery: Buhari has no objections to Police plan to arrest\u00a0Senate President\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said he had no objections to any plan by the police to arrest Senate President Bukola Saraki over a string of murder cases in Kwara State, according to PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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The president received Inspector-General Ibrahim Idris at the State House on Friday afternoon, during which he was told of at least 20 murders allegedly linked to Mr Saraki in his home state, according to multiple sources briefed of the meeting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Sources said the police chief arrived at the State House with a cornucopia of homicide investigation documents relating to Mr Saraki. The top lawmaker could be arrested any day from now following the president\u2019s position that the law should run its course insofar as detectives have sufficient facts to file charges.<\/p>\n

Already, the police have declared Mr Saraki a person of interest in the deadly robbery incident in Offa, the second-largest settlement in Kwara State. The police said\u00a0at least 17 persons, including nine police officers, were killed<\/a>\u00a0and five banks raided in the\u00a0April 5\u00a0attack.<\/p>\n

The police said the death toll from the robbery has risen steadily to 33 as at last week. Twenty 22 suspects,\u00a0including a dismissed police sergeant<\/a>, have been announced arrested.<\/p>\n

Mr Saraki was amongst the first set of leaders to condemn the attack and called for a sweeping investigation and prosecution of all suspects.<\/p>\n

In a statement on Sunday, police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, said at least five of the suspects arrested in the robbery \u201cadmitted and confessed to have been sponsored with firearms, money and operational vehicles\u201d by Mr Saraki and Abdulfatah Ahmed, the state governor.<\/p>\n

While parading the suspects on Sunday afternoon, Mr Moshood identified one of them as Ayoade Akinnibosun, a 37 years old resident of the state and the \u2018overall\u2019 leader of the armed gang. His vehicle was allegedly one of those used in the robbery. A number plate allegedly registered in Mr Akinnibosun\u2019s name superimposed on a sticker number plate which had \u2018SARAKI\u2019 boldly written on it.<\/p>\n

Amongst top Kwara government officials named in the robbery were Yusuf Abdulwahab, the chief of staff to the governor, and the environment commissioner.<\/p>\n

The police said Mr Abdulwahab, 58, had been taken into custody, but it was not immediately clear whether it was in connection to the robbery. Some local news reports out of Kwara said Mr Abdulwahab was arrested on fraud charges unrelated to the robbery two days ago.<\/p>\n

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Sakari has been asked to turn himself in at the police intelligence department in Guzape, Abuja. No date was specified for the summon. The Senate President could be arrested if he fails to turn himself in as demanded by the police, especially as he enjoys no immunity from prosecution.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

But Mr Ahmed, whose position as governor accords him absolute immunity from criminal charges, has denied the\u00a0police claims against him<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a statement to PREMIUM TIMES Monday afternoon, Mr Ahmed said the police allegation that he armed and funded suspects for political thuggery or for any other activity was \u201cfalse and unfounded.\u201d<\/p>\n

The governor said he had never been involved in or encouraged \u201cthuggery or any other form of criminality.\u201d He said the state government provided funds for youth in the state for small businesses; but neither him nor the state government should be held responsible for how the youth use such funds.<\/p>\n

On his part, it was not immediately clear whether the Senate President will honour the invitation. His spokesperson, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Sunday afternoon did not return PREMIUM TIMES telephone calls and text messages seeking comments about the police invitation and Mr Buhari\u2019s approval.<\/p>\n

Presidential spokespersons, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, did not return multiple requests for comments. Neither did Mr Moshood answer enquiries about Mr Idris\u2019 visit to the State House and the invitation to Mr Saraki.<\/p>\n

The disclosure that Mr Saraki had been implicated in murder cases comes three weeks after an open confrontation played out between the police and the top lawmaker.<\/p>\n

But the confrontation was over separate criminal suspects arrested in connection to multiple gang killings the state over the past two years. The police abruptly moved the suspects to Abuja after the were arrested in Kwara and charges were being prepared against them over there.<\/p>\n

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\"Buhari\"<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Mr Saraki has also been leading a pack of politicians who allege marginalisation within the APC. The politicians, under the so-called nPDP, hold individual grudges, which range from alleged marginalisation over the past three years to their future standing within the ruling party.<\/p>\n

Last week,\u00a0the members met with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo<\/a>\u00a0at the State House, but details of their discussion were not immediately disclosed. Mr Buhari was not a part of the meeting, but there was optimism amongst the nPDP members that they would still meet the president.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a ruling party that is facing a general election in less than a year away and its Number One is fighting its Number Three,\u201d Mr Olubanjo said of Mr Buhari and Mr Saraki, who is generally seen as the third most-powerful personality in the country, coming behind the vice president. \u201cThe president is putting the party and his own political future in a critical situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not trying to defend criminality,\u201d the analyst said. \u201cBut if we are to be objective in analysing how the police have handled this matter, we would see clearly that they have nothing against the Senate leader but only on a mission to destroy him by all means.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Mr Saraki turns himself in and is charged, it would be another criminal charge since becoming Senate President in June 2015. He had been previously docked at the Code of Conduct Tribunal for false and anticipatory declaration of assets. He was discharged and acquitted on all 18 counts, but the Court of Appeal upheld all but two of the charges and returned them to the tribunal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said he had no objections to any plan by the police to arrest Senate President Bukola Saraki over a string of murder cases in Kwara State, according to PREMIUM TIMES has learnt. The president received Inspector-General Ibrahim Idris at the State House on Friday afternoon, during which he was told […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"news-category":[317,323],"yoast_head":"\nOffa Robbery: Buhari has no objections to Police plan to arrest\u00a0Senate President\u00a0<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Offa Robbery: Buhari has no objections to Police plan to arrest\u00a0Senate President\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nigerianews.ca\/news\/plan-to-arrest-senate-president\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Offa Robbery: Buhari has no objections to Police plan to arrest\u00a0Senate President\u00a0\" 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