In his reaction to the announcement of the death of Adikwu in police custody, Saraki had called on the Presidency to make a thorough inquiry into the case.

But in its reply, the spokesman of the police, Mr. Jimoh Moshood, explained that Adikwu simply slumped and died.

He stated however, that the death of the principal suspect would not stop the police from prosecuting Saraki.

But accusing the police of dodging the issue, Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said when he mentioned in his statement on Wednesday that he had been vindicated, he was not referring to the outcome of a case which is just about  to commence but rather he was pointing to the belated admission by the Police that Adikwu had died in custody, “a fact that was initially denied by the Police when he (Senate President) raised it a few months ago.”

He added that the Police in an alleged cover up of its mishandling of the investigations and their politicisation of the process, had continued to make inconsistent statements and commit more blunders.

“The Police while reacting to our disclosure that the prime suspect had died in custody, caused their spokesman, Moshood Jimoh, to respond that: ‘Michael Adikwu is in police custody in one of the South-west states…helping in the investigation’. The same Police have equally documented the claim that the suspect died during arrest. What a contradiction!

“It is surprising that the Police which initially allowed the said Adikwu to grant interviews to several national newspapers while in custody refused to inform the public that the suspect had died until the Attorney General of Kwara State mentioned it on November 21, 2018 in the course of his address to the High Court in Ilorin while applying to amend the charge sheet,” he stated.

He noted that President Muhammadu Buhari needed to institute inquiry into the death of Adikwu because it had several implications for the country’s legal system and its engagement with the international community which had consistently cited the issues of human rights abuse and extra-judicial killing by security forces as major reasons for their reluctance to sell arms to Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram.

“One of the key issues those of us who have been engaging with the international community on the need for them to support Nigeria in the fight against terrorism in the North-east region through supply of arms, provision of training and other technical aid has been confronting is that of the flagrant abuse of human rights and extra-judicial killing by our security agencies.

“This is an instance of what these international partners complain about. The Presidency should make a point that the present government does not tolerate human rights abuse, extra-judicial killing, politically-motivated criminal investigation and refusal to comply with global best practices by security agencies by instituting an inquiry into the case of the death of this suspect,” he stated.

The Senate President further called for diligent prosecution of the Offa robbery case so that justice can be done to the innocent victims of the April 5 attacks, the suspects facing trial and the state whose peace was disturbed by the sad incident.

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The police explained the situation just as they also declared that the death of Adikwu would not stop the prosecution of Senate President Bukola Saraki said to have been linked to the suspects.

The death of the suspect in police custody was announced on Wednesday by the Kwara State Commissioner for Justice, Kamal Ajibade, at the Ilorin High Court when the suspects of the robbery operation were arraigned.

The Commissioner, who said he was informed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police and the head of intelligence team of the Inspector-General of Police, Abba Kyari, however did not state the circumstances that surrounded the death.

But in a statement issued by the Nigeria Police Force, its  Public Relations Officer, Mr. Jimoh Moshood, said the suspect slumped and died in detention.

He said a post-mortem examination result in respect of the death of Michael Adikwu was available.

He also declared that the death of Adikwu would not stop the prosecution of Saraki as the other suspects had enough evidence against him.

“It should be of serious concern to all, that human life is sacrosanct and where investigation has been concluded and suspects arraigned in Court, judicial process must be exhausted and not hindered for the law to take its course in ensuring justice for the families of more than 33 innocent persons including pregnant women that were gruesomely murdered in cold blood,” the statement reads in part.

It would be recalled that following the death of Adikwu, Saraki through his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, called for a proper inquiry by the Presidency into the case.

He said he had also been vindicated that linking him to the robbery was political.

The police statement reads in full:

RE- OFFA BANK ROBBERY: SARAKI DEMANDS PROBE OF DEATH OF PRINCIPAL SUSPECT

All Five (5) suspects that indicted and implicated Senator Bukola Saraki, Senate President Federal Republic of Nigeria in the Offa Bank Robbery are alive and now in Court.

The Death of Michael Adikwu ‘M’ 30Yrs (A Dismissed Police Man and an Ex- Convict) a sectional gang leader who confessed to have killed Twenty Two (22) persons including pregnant women and Nine (9) Police personnel during Offa Bank Robbery cannot vindicate the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, the law must take its course.

Evidence from the Five (5) suspects now in Court are enough to prosecute the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki.

The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to the innuendo in the media on the death of a sectional gang leader Michael Adikwu ‘M’ 30Yrs (A Dismissed Police Man and an Ex- Convict) who confessed to have killed Twenty Two (22) persons including pregnant women and Nine (9) Police personnel and carted away of Twenty Two (22) AK 47 Rifles at the Offa Police Divisional Headquarters during Offa Bank Robbery on the 5th April, 2018, it is therefore, imperative that the Nigeria Police Force respond to the publication and set the record straight.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki

2. The Nigeria Police Force is conversant and mindful of contempt of Court in commenting on cases already before the Court of competent jurisdiction, however, the Force is constraint and compelled to respond to the statement from Mr. Yusuf Olaniyonu, Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki and not on the Court processes and proceedings on the case of Offa Bank Robbery for which Five (5) principal suspects are now standing trial in a State High court in Ilorin, Kwara State.
3. For avoidance of doubt, and to correct the insinuations and wrong impressions created by the statement from Mr. Yusuf Olaniyonu, Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki in the minds of members of the public over the indictment and involvement of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki in the case of the Offa Bank Robbery of 5th April, 2018, from the confessions of the Five (5) gang leaders namely; Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran arrested for direct involvement and active participation in the Offa Bank Robbery and the gruesome killing of THIRTY THREE (33) innocent persons, the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki was indicted by the Five (5) suspects who admitted in their confessional statements to the Police investigators that they were political thugs of the Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Sen. Bukola Saraki and the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Alh. Abdulfatah Ahmed. 4. 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” they also admitted and confessed to have been sponsored with firearms, money and operational vehicles.
4. Lexus RX 300 Jeep with Reg. KWARA, KWA 143 RM with inscription SARAKI on a sticker attached to the vehicle
5. Mercedes Benz Compressor Reg. LAGOS, LT 496 KJA, these two (2) Vehicles were used for the Offa Bank Robbery by the Five (5) gang Leaders. The first vehicle was later registered after the Offa Bank Robbery to divert attention while the suspects were in detention. These confessions were made before the media and the public on the 3rd of June, 2018. It is therefore, evidently clear that the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki has case to answer in the whole matter.
6. It was also discovered during investigations that three (3) gang leaders who participated actively in the Offa Bank Robbery (i) Ayoade Akinnibosun aka AY (ii) Ibukunle Ogunleye aka Arrow and (iii) Adeola Abraham followed the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki to Oloffa’s Palace when the Senate President paid a condolence visit to Offa after the Bank Robbery.
7. Further investigation into the matter revealed that all the Five (5) gang leaders namely; Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran have direct connection to the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki as a picture of one of the five (5) gang leaders when paraded by the Police was in ‘Aso Ebi’ (trouser) used during the Senate President daughter’s wedding. The Five (5) gang leaders further admitted that they attended the Senate President daughter’s wedding held in Abuja.
8. Consequent on all the above, a thorough and discreet investigation was concluded by the Police into the matter and all the Five (5) gang leaders namely; Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran arrested for direct involvement and active participation in the Offa Bank Robbery that indicted and implicated Senator Bukola Saraki, Senate President Federal Republic of Nigeria in the Offa Bank Robbery are alive and now in Court.
9. Michael Adikwu ‘M’ 30Yrs (A Dismissed Police Man and an Ex- Convict) who confessed to have killed Twenty Two (22) persons including pregnant women and Nine (9) Police personnel and carted away of Twenty Two (22) AK 47 Rifles at the Offa Police Divisional Headquarters during Offa Bank Robbery on the 5th April, 2018 was among the Three (3) gang leaders captured on CCTV footage and later arrested. Michael Adikwu ‘M’ 30Yrs was not paraded along with the Five (5) gang leaders now standing trial because he was taken out to arrest other members of the gang and recover the Twenty Two (22) AK 47 Rifles carted away during the Offa Bank Robbery.
10. Michael Adikwu ‘M’ 30Yrs was not murdered but slummed and died in detention while investigation into the Offa Bank Robbery was ongoing. It is also important for the public to know that the deceased Michael Adikwu ‘M’ 30Yrs was not among the Five (5) gang leaders that indicted and implicated the senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, therefore, his death cannot in anyway vindicate Senator Bukola Saraki. There is a post-mortem examination result in respect of the death of Michael Adikwu ‘M’ 30Yrs.
11. The indictment of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki from the confessions of the Five (5) gang leaders namely; Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran arrested for direct involvement and active participation in the Offa Bank Robbery was not politically motivated as alleged by Mr. Yusuf Olaniyonu, Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki to the media, but purely criminal case.
12. It should be of serious concern to all, that human life is sacrosanct and where investigation has been concluded and suspects arraigned in Court, judicial process must be exhausted and not hindered for the law to take its course in ensuring justice for the families of more than Thirty Three (33) innocent persons including pregnant women that were gruesomely murdered in cold blood by Michael Adikwu and the Five (5) gang leaders Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran arrested, investigated and currently standing trial for direct involvement and active participation in the Offa Bank Robbery, than for any individual(s) or any group to attempt futile efforts and desperate distractions to pervert the end of justice is most unfair to the families of the deceased, the State and the society at large.

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