VIDEO:Police locks down Saraki’s Residence, stops him from honouring IGP invite

Agency ReporterJuly 24, 2018

1 2 minutes read

A swam of police vehicles and officers have blocked the entry and exit routes to the Lake Chad residence of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, there by preventing him from attending to the invitation of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris at 8 am today.

Saraki’s convoy, which hit the road around 6:58 am on Tuesday morning to honour the police invite is currently stranded as the officers and men of the Nigerian Police Force have refused him passage.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, on Monday asked Saraki to appear at the office of Intelligence Response Team (IRT) office in Abuja, over the robbery incident that took place in Offa, Kwara state, in April this year.

In a letter dated July 23 and addressed to Saraki, Idris asked the Senate President to be at IRT’s office at 8am on Tuesday “for further investigation”.

Meanwhile, Saraki has stated that the invitation to him by the Police to report to a station in Guzape over the Offa robbery investigation is a mere afterthought which is designed to achieve political purpose.

Saraki in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, stated that he has it on good authority that the Police had already decided on the suspects to arraign in court in Ilorin, Kwara State on Wednesday based on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mohammed U.E. and that the turn around to invite him was a ploy aimed at scoring cheap political points.

“I have been reliably informed that the police invitation was planned by IG as a ploy to stop an alleged plan by some Senators and House of Representatives members from defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC). It was also said that if I was detained between Tuesday and Wednesday, that will abort the so-called defection plan.

“While I continue to maintain that the issue of my position on the 2019 elections is not a personal decision for me alone to make, it should be noted that all these concoctions and evil plot cannot deter me. Those behind this fresh assault will fail as I have nothing to do with the robbery incident or any criminal matter for that matter.

“I am aware that following a request made by the Police on June 13, 2018 to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Federation had written a legal advice dated June 22, 2018, in which he stated on page 5, paragraph (f) that “For the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged office and the suspects”.

“The Police have obviously corrupted and politicized their investigations into the Offa robbery incident. They have turned it into an instrument for the party in power to suppress perceived opponents, witchunt 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.”