Confusion: DSS withdraws Saraki, Dogara’s security aides

There is confusion in the camps of Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon.
Yakubu Dogara, following the ‘recall’ of some operatives of the Department of State Service attached to them.
And further to that, the Force Headquarters has summoned Saraki to answer some questions bordering on alleged confession of Offa, Kwara state robbery suspects, believed to have named him as their backer.
The suspects, according to the police, also indicted the state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed.
Their travails are coming ahead of the meeting of the aggrieved nPDP members within the All Progressives Congress, with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo scheduled for today.
Both Saraki and Dogara were members of the Peoples Democratic Party chieftains that formed the All Progressives Congress prior to the 2015 general elections.
The withdrawal of the operatives has caused some disquiet within the camps of the two leaders, whose supporters within the nPDP fold had earlier cried out over alleged marginalisation by the APC-led government.
Efforts to clarify the DSS’ position was unsuccessful, as the agency does not have a spokesman to engage the media.
But Blueprint’s findings revealed that the summon of the security details, who are mostly of junior ranks, is a ‘normal routine.’ The source, who craved anonymity said: “The operatives were summoned to the office, which of course is a normal routine.
They are junior officers and were only asked to come to the office to engage their respective departments.” Asked if the operatives would return to their duty posts after the engagement, our source said, “they could be asked to return, or not to.
It is a 50-50 chance, especially given the present situation.
That is within the authority of the leadership.” Police invite Saraki Meanwhile, the police have asked Senate President, Saraki to come over and clear his name over alleged confession of Off a robbery suspects, where they were alleged to have implicated him as their backer.
The gruesome robbery incident claimed 33 lives, including nine police personnel, while the deadly gang laid siege to the town, robbed six banks and ransacked the Divisional Police Headquarters.
Saraki is expected to report to the Force Intelligence Response Team office at Guzape, Abuja.
However, no date was specifi ed for him to report for interrogation.
The Police in a statement yesterday, said the invitation had to do with the alleged confession of five of the gang members.
Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Jimoh Moshood, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, while disclosing that 22 suspects were now in police custody, further alleged that besides the suspects’ confessions, one of the vehicles recovered from the robbers bore a ‘SARAKI’ sticker.
“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 Off a Bank Robbery and the gruesome killing of thirty three (33) innocent persons, which include some pregnant women and nine (9) Police personnel, admitted, confessed and volunteered statements that they were political thugs of the Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bukola Saraki and the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji 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 fi rearms, money and operational vehicles by the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki and the Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed,” the statement said.
Continuing, Moshood said, “in the course of discreet investigation into the confessions of these five (5) gang leaders and the other seventeen (17) principal suspects, a Lexus Jeep GX-300 (Ash Colour) with a sticker plate number with inscription “SARAKI” “Kwara, State of Harmony” used by the gang leader, Ayoade Akinnibosun, 37, during the bank robbery and the killing of the 33 innocent persons, was taken to Government House, Ilorin, on May 17, 2018 where the sticker plate number with inscription “SARAKI” “Kwara, State of Harmony” was removed before another plate number, Reg. No. Kwara, KMA 143 RM, registered in the name of Ayoade Akinnibosun, the overall Commander of the Off a bank robbery was then attached to the vehicle to cover up the identity of the said vehicle.
“The exhibit vehicle was subsequently recovered from the premises of the Ministry of Environmental and Forestry in Ilorin, Kwara State.
While the sticker plate number with inscription “SARAKI” “Kwara, State of Harmony” removed from the vehicle was recovered from one Adeola Omiyale who drove the said Lexus Jeep to Government House, Ilorin immediately after the bank robbery.
“The Personal Assistant, Political, to the Governor of Kwara State, Mr. Alabi Olalekan, who is privy to information that the Police is looking for the Lexus Jeep as an exhibit used in the Off a bank robbery and the killings of 33 innocent persons, directed one Adeola Omiyale to relocate the Lexus Jeep to Government House, Ilorin.
“The PA (Political) is currently in police custody and has made useful statement assisting the Police in further investigation into the case.
A revolver pistol and pump action gun were recovered by the Police Investigation Team from the Personal Assistant, Political, to the Governor of Kwara state, Mr. Alabi Olalekan’s Farm, where he directed his brother to hide them after his arrest by the Police.” The Police spokesperson also disclosed that 2 AK47 rifles, 2 barrette pistols, 1 pump action rifle, and 1 revolver pistol were seized from the suspects as well as a Lexus RX300 Jeep with Reg. No. Kwara, KMA 143, Mercedes Benz, Compressor with Reg. No. Lagos LT496, 1 Toyota Prado Jeep with Reg. No. 19KWGH, belonging to the PA Political to the Governor, Kwara state and a Toyota Camry Saloon Car with Reg. No. LRN 481 FE, were recovered, including the sum of N600, 000.
The statement listed some of the gang leaders in detention to include: Ayoade Akinnibosun a.k.a AY, 37; Ibukunle Ogunleye, 36, allegedly killed two persons; Adeola Abraham, 35, killed five persons; Salawudeen Azeez, 49, killed two; Niyi Ogundiran, 37, illed two persons and Michael Adikwu killed 22 persons, mostly at the police station.
My response to claims by Police -Saraki In a reaction, the Senate President, Dr. Saraki, urged the general public to disregard the claim as a “baseless allegation and another ploy by the Police to implicate him” by all means.
“The attention of the Senate President, Dr.
Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has been drawn to a story circulating online and apparently derived from a Press Conference addressed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Moshood Jimoh, linking him (Saraki) to the Off a robbery,” a statement by the Special Adviser to the Senate President (Media and Publicity) to the Senate President, Yusuph Olaniyonu said.
“Let it be known that there is no way I could have been associated with armed robbery against my people.
When the Off a robbery incident happened, I was the first top public offi cial to pay a visit to the place and right there in the palace of the traditional ruler, I put a call through to this same Mr. Ibrahim Idris, the IGP, requesting him to make certain specifi c security arrangements as demanded by the people.
“Members of the public will remember that on May 16, 2018, I alerted the Senate about the information passed on to me by my State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatai Ahmed, over a plot by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to frame me up by getting some suspected cultists arrested in Ilorin to implicate me.
It is believed that the timely leakage of the plot in that case aborted the use of the suspected cultists to implicate me.
Now, it is the Off a bank robbery suspects that are about to be used.
“This plot is concocted to embarrass me and, in the mind of the IGP, it is his own response after his refusal to honour the invitation by the National Assembly, headed me, for him to come and offer explanations on the rampant killings and violence across the country.
“Like the earlier one, this frameup will also fail as I hereby stat categorically that I have no link with any band of criminals.
“As a person who has utmost respect for the rule of law and all constitutional institutions, when the invitation from the Police is formally extended to me, I will be ready to honour it without any delay.
“It is however sad that this abuse of the criminal investigation process aimed at intimidating and overoverawing the legislature, thereby obstructing it from doing its work, is a big threat to our democracy,” the Senate President stated.
My indictment shocking – Gov And in a reaction, Governor Ahmed has refuted police allegations of sponsoring, funding, arming or otherwise supporting political thuggery.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Muyideen Akorede, Mr Ahmed described the allegations as false and rejected his alleged indictment by the Nigeria police or the armed robbery suspects in their custody.
Ahmed said while the state government had empowered several youth groups under its acclaimed Small and Medium Enterprises scheme, neither he nor the state government can be held liable for how beneficiaries utilise the credit.
He therefore urged the police to complete their investigations and charge the suspects to court soon in line with the dictates of the rule of law.
Earlier cries Saraki had, a fortnight ago, raised the alarm over alleged plans by the police to implicate him and Governor Ahmed over the arrest of some alleged cultists, a claim the police denied.
And simultaneously, the Kwara State Ministry of Justice, clarifi ed that the suspected cultists arrested and interrogated by the police in Ilorin, and recommended for trial by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mumini Jamiu, never indicted anybody in their statements.