Facts have emerged that the former Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, was not the sponsor of the celebrated robbery incident that took place in Offa, Kwara State, in 2018, which claimed so many lives including, police officers and bank workers, who were caught in the crossfire of the gunmen, who carried out the operation.
This was the evidence of one of the witnesses, Shamsudeen Bada, Thursday, when he told a Kwara State High Court in Ilorin how men of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector-General of Police led by the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, tortured him to implicate Saraki, in the April 5, 2018 Offa robbery.
Bada, Vice-Chairman of Irepodun Local Government area of Kwara State, who was led in evidence by the defence counsel, Mathias Emeribe, told the court at the resumed trial of the suspects in the robbery how Saraki, former Governor of the state, came into the picture, saying it was all politics.
Saraki was never arrested in the saga, for which five suspects: Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham and two others, were charged to court by the police for criminal conspiracy to rob the banks, murder of nine policemen and other citizens, and illegal possession of firearms.
In his evidence at the trial, Bada said when the families of the detained suspects threatened the police with court action, the IRT operatives said they were taking instructions directly from the IGP and there was no court in Kwara that can stop their operation.
During cross examination by Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) the prosecution counsel, the witness said that while they were in detention, the IRT operatives promised that they would free them “if we can name Saraki as our sponsor,” adding, “Ayo Akinnibosun was shot in the leg when he declined to indict Saraki.
“After he was shot, my health started deteriorating. DCP Abba Kyari brought some nurses to treat me. Before I was eventually released, the police officers gave me conditions before I was released that I must not grant any press interview, I must not go to court and I should quit politics.”
The prosecuting counsel, who was unable to conclude his cross-examination of the witness because a particular document was not properly placed to be tendered before the Court, had sought an adjournment to obtain the said document, prompting Justice Halimat Salman, to subsequently adjourn the matter to January 16,17 and 18, 2023 for the continuation of cross-examination.
