The Force headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday said operatives of the DCP Abba Kyari led Intelligence Response Team, have arrested two of three wanted gang members who partook in the Offa Banks Robbery in Kwara State during which 33 people were killed.
The Police also said that contrary to disclosure by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki in a tweet that he has been asked not to appear before the IRT investigation team but to send his statement through writing, the Senate President would appear before the team.
The Police did not however give a deadline as to when the Senate President is to appear for questioning.
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Jimoh Moshood made the disclosures at a briefing to update the media on the allegations against the Senate President.
He said, “Nigeria Police Force have arrested 2 out of the 3 suspects mentioned by the overall gang leader of Offa Bank Robbery Ayoade Akinnibosun a.k.a AY during parade of suspects on 3/6/2018 adding that the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki is still under investigation in connection with the Offa Bank Robbery
The full text reads, “It will be recalled that on 3rd June, 2018, I paraded before the Media and the Public Fifteen (15) suspects, (Five ‘5’ Gang Leaders and Ten ‘10’ principal Suspects) who admitted, confessed and volunteered statements to the Police Investigation Team on the active criminal roles they played in the Bank Robbery of Six (6) Commercial Banks, attack on Divisional Police Headquarters, Offa and the killing of Thirty Three (33) innocent persons.
“These five (5) gang leaders confessed to the Police as follows:
- Ayoade Akinnibosun a.k.a AY ‘M’ 37Yrs – Gang Leader From Oro, Irepodun LGA, Kwara State. Confessed to have coordinated the Bank Robbery and the killing of Thirty Three (33) innocent persons during the bank robbery.
- Ibukunle Ogunleye ‘M’ 36Yrs – Gang Leader from Oro, Irepodun LGA, Kwara State. Confessed to have killed Two (2) Persons during the bank robbery.
iii. Adeola Abraham ‘M’ 35Yrs – Gang Leader from Oro, Irepodun LGA, Kwara State. Confessed to have killed Five (5) Persons during the bank robbery.
- Salawudeen Azeez ‘M’ 49Yrs – Gang Leader from Oro, Irepodun LGA, Kwara State. Confessed to have killed Two (2) Persons during the bank robbery.
- Niyi Ogundiran ‘M’ 37Yrs – Gang Leader from Oro, Irepodun LGA, Kwara State. Confessed to have killed Two (2) Persons during the bank robbery.
“The other 17 suspects volunteered confessional statements admitting their active participation in the Offa bank robbery; they also corroborated the confessions of the five (5) principal suspects mentioned in paragraph two (2) above.
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“During the parade, the main gang leader, Ayoade Akinnibosun a.k.a AY ‘M’ 37Yrs, mentioned three (3) other suspected vicious and notorious political thugs and in possession of Firearms, ammunition and other dangerous weapons working according to him for the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki in the Kwara central Senatorial District, namely Alhaji Kehinde Gobiri aka Captain, Alhaji Oba Shuaib Olododo aka Jawando and Alhaji Dona.
“Two (2) of these suspects namely Alhaji Kehinde Gobiri aka Captain ‘47yrs’ Native of Ilorin East LGA Kwara State and Alhaji Oba Shuaib Olododo aka Jawando ‘53yrs’ Native of Ilorin South, Kwara State are now in Police custody and have admitted to various crimes and criminalities they have committed in Kwara Central Senatorial District under the guise of political thuggery for the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki.
“They are currently under investigation and will be charged to court on completion of investigation.
“Consequent upon all the above and 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 33 innocent persons admitted and volunteered statements that they were political thugs of the Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Sen. Bukola Saraki and the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Alh. Abdulfatah Ahmed.
“The Five (5) gang leaders further confessed during investigation that they are political thugs under the name Youth Liberation Movement a.k.a “Good Boys” admitted and confessed to have been sponsored with firearms, money and operational vehicles by the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki and the Governor of Kwara State, Alh. Abdulfatah Ahmed.
“These confessions were made before the media and the public on the 3rd of June, 2018. It is therefore, evidently clear that the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki has case to answer.
“It was also discovered during further investigations that three (3) gang leaders who participated actively in the Offa Bank Robbery (i) Ayoade Akinnibosun aka AY (ii) Ibukunle Ogunleye aka Arrow and (iii) Adeola Abraham followed the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki to Oloffa’s Palace when the Senate President paid a condolence visit to Offa after the Bank Robbery.
“New revelations from further investigation into the matter show that all the five (5) gang leaders namely; Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran have direct connection to the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki as new pictures of one of the five (5) gang leaders when paraded by the Police early in the week was in ‘Aso Ebi’ (trouser) used during the Senate President daughter’s wedding.
“The Five (5) gang leaders further admitted that they attended the Senate President daughter’s wedding held recently.
“The Nigeria Police Force will not be cowed or succumb to intimidation from any quarter in carrying out a thorough and discreet investigation into the Offa Bank Robbery where significant successes have been recorded. The ongoing investigation will be driven to a logical conclusion.
“Meanwhile, the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki is still under investigation in connection to the Offa bank Robbery and the Nigeria Police Force will do everything possible within the ambit of the law to ensure that justice is done in this case.”
ACP Jimoh Moshood,
FPRO, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
