The Political Cat and Mouse game in Nigeria continues with a new phase as the Nigeria Police have threatened the Senate President, Bukola Saraki to appear before it or face the full force of the law.
According to the force public relations officer, Jimoh Moshood on Tuesday “If the Senate President refuses to honor the invitation, police would not hesitate to use all the instruments of the law to ensure compliance with the law,” The police also denied deploying personnel to the resident of the Senate President on Tuesday morning.
The statement further addressed the blockade of the house of Bukola Saraki and the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu by men and officers of the Nigerian Police Force as well as the EFCC.
Pictures had surfaced on social media early Tuesday morning showing men of Nigeria Police blocking the convoy of the senate President. The Police however denied deploying its men in the statement issued on Tuesday.
“The Nigeria Police Force’s attention was also drawn to the innuendos in the early hours of today (Tuesday) that some policemen were seen surrounding the residence of the Senate President; the Force wishes to categorically state that there was no authorised deployment of police personnel to besiege the residence of the Senate President or his deputy as reported in the media,”
The Police spokesperson then went on to assert, “The police personnel seen in pictures in the media were those in the convoy of the Senate President and others attached to him.”
Read Also: JUST IN: 37 LAWMAKERS DEFECT FROM APC
The police blockade of Saraki’s house came on the heels of an invitation extended to the Senate President by the Inspector General to report to the force headquarters to answer to charges that he sponsored the armed robbery gang that attacked Offa recently.
According to the police, Dr Saraki was needed for “further investigation on his indictment from confessional statements from some of the five gang leaders arrested for their active participation in the Offa bank robbery”.
However, despite the blockade of his residence by the Police this morning, Dr. Saraki was able to make it to plenary and presided over a session that witnessed the defection of 15 senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC); 14 of them going over to the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Apart from insisting he had nothing to do with the robbery; the Senate President accused the police of politicising their investigation. Shortly after the news of his invitation broke,
“The police have obviously corrupted and politicised their investigations into the Offa robbery incident. They have turned it into an instrument for the party in power to suppress perceived opponents, witch-hunt issue for blackmailing people from freely choosing which platform on which they want to pursue their ambition and a matter for harassing the people whose exit from APC would harm the chances of the party in the forthcoming elections.” The Senate President asserted.