The Police authorities have insisted that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, must honour their invitation for questioning about the Offa bank robbery or be forced to do so.
“If the Senate President refuses to honor the invitation, police would not hesitate to use all the instruments of the law to ensure compliance with the law,”
Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Jimoh Moshood, said in a statement on Tuesday.
The police also denied deploying personnel to the resident of the Senate President on Tuesday morning.
“The Nigeria Police Force’s attention was also drawn to the innuendos in the early hours of today (Tuesday) that some policemen were seen surrounding the residence of the Senate President; the Force wishes to categorically state that there was no authorised deployment of police personnel to besiege the residence of the Senate President or his deputy as reported in the media,” Moshood said.
“The police personnel seen in pictures in the media were those in the convoy of the Senate President and others attached to him.”
Recall that the police had issued a statement on Monday, asking the Senate President to report to the head of the investigation team at the Intelligence Response Team Office in Asokoro Extension Abuja, at 8 am on Tuesday.
According to the police, Dr Saraki was needed for “further investigation on his indictment from confessional statements from some of the five gang leaders arrested for their active participation in the Offa bank robbery”.
More than 31 persons were killed in the robbery which occurred on April 5, 2018.
However, the Senate President, who had previously denied having anything to do with the robbery, restated his position in a statement hours later.
Apart from insisting he had nothing to do with the robbery, he accused the police of politicising their investigation.
Although the police denied deploying personnel to the residences of the Senate President and his deputy, it said the “episode” will be investigated.
“The Inspector General of Police has directed a thorough investigation to ascertain the facts in the episode,” it said, adding, “The Force will not allow the end of justice to be perverted by this distraction.”