Reports coming out of Abuja this evening have revealed that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki has been accused of complicity in the murder of 31 persons. The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, summoned Bukola Saraki over the killing of 31 persons following an armed robbery attack in his home state of Kwara.
According to the police, 31 persons were killed in a bank robbery that took place in Offa on the 5th of April, 2018. The robbery attack which was one of the deadliest in the country’s recent history caused the deaths of police officers, bank staff, market women as well as children.
The police reported that one of the suspects arrested in connection with the armed robbery confessed to being sponsored by Mr. Saraki.
Related: PRESIDENT BUHARI, OSINBAJO, SARAKI, FAYEMI & OTHERS IN CLOSED DOOR MEETING
The Police had summoned Mr Saraki earlier in June to answer to the charges but the invitation was abruptly withdrawn and the Senate President was only required to submit his response to the allegations in writing.
Mr Saraki had complied with the demand at the time, and no updates had been released from the police about the matter ever since.
The police however have responded on the matter in a statement released on Monday night, the Police Headquarters circulated a letter dated June 23, 2018 which Mr. Idris, the Inspector- General of Police wrote to Mr. Saraki, asking him to turn himself in to clarify certain grey areas in his statement.
According to the circulated letter, the police alleged that Mr. Saraki had written in his statement that he would not comment on the purported confession of the suspects since he was not privy to the specifics of their statements.
The police therefore reiterated that Mr. Saraki would be given an opportunity to read the statements of his accusers when he turned himself in at the Intelligence Response Team in Guzape neighbourhood, Abuja by 8:00 a.m. on July 24.
It is expected that the Senate President would honour the invitation as he had expressed his readiness to honour the previous one issued to him until it was abruptly withdrawn.
Mr. Saraki had also strongly maintained his innocence, saying the police allegations were watery and politically-motivated.
This event comes on the heel of Mr. Saraki’s victory at the Supreme Court that freed him of all charges leveled against him by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
It also comes on the heels of recent lobbying by APC stalwarts and President Buhari himself based on the news that the Senate President was likely to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2019 General Elections.