BEVERLY HILLS, August 17, (THEWILL) – The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), have stated that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has not been cleared of his alleged complicity in the Offa robbery.
According to them, there was nowhere Saraki was cleared by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the interim report of investigation submitted to the police, as being claimed.
The AGF, the NPF and the IGP spoke in their separate counter affidavits filed in response to a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by some 10 individuals, who claimed to be acting for the Senate President.
The suit is pending before Justice M. A. Nasir of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Jabi, Abuja.
They stated that instead, the DPP, having analysed the interim report of investigation by the police, suggested areas of further investigation as regard claims by some of those being held over the crime, particularly as it relates to the source of the weapons used and where the operation was plotted.
The AGF, the IGP and the NPF noted that pursuant to the advice by the DPP, further investigation has been conducted, following which a more detailed investigation report has since been submitted to the DPP for his further opinion.
They said it was premature for anyone to claim that Saraki had been exonerated as “investigation is still ongoing on the case”. They denied the claim that the decision to question Saraki over the case was political and intended to blackmail him and dent his reputation.
They said the information linking Saraki to the case was provided by some individuals arrested in relation to the case, who claim to be political thugs to the Senate President.
The applicants – Anthony Onukaogu, Lawrence Umudu, Bamidele Ojo, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, Ogechi Duruaku, Veronica Onoja, Chidiebere Achebe, Chika Onyiorah, Chigozie Eburuo and Patrick Uzim – claimed in the suit, that the decision by the police to question Saraki in relation to the robbery was instigated by his political enemies; intended to blackmail him and dent the Senate President’s reputation.
Besides filing separate counter-affidavits, the respondents – AGF, NPF and the IGP – also filed motions and notices of objection, challenging the applicants’ locus standi, the court’s jurisdiction and the propriety of court’s interim order of injunction, made on August 8 by Justice Nasir, restraining the respondents from further inviting Saraki in relation to investigation on the robbery case.
The AGF said in his counter affidavit that contrary to the applicants’ claim in paragraph 23 of their affidavit, the police interim investigation report on the Offa, Kwara State robbery and other alleged crimes, “as it affects Senator Bukola Saraki, revealed that further thorough investigation be made so as to ascertain whether the planning and the execution of the robbery attack of 5th April 2018 at Offa, Kwara State was carried out at his instance, knowledge or approval.
The IGP, in his counter affidavit, gave an insight into what informed police’s decision to question Saraki over the robbery incident and why it was wrong for the Senate President to rush to conclusion based on the interim report submitted to the DPP by the police.
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