The Police have said that the death of a principal suspect in the celebrated Offa robbery Michael Adikwu would not affect the trial of the Senate President Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bukola Saraki indicated in the saga.
Jimoh Moshood
Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Jimoh Moshood said the five suspects who implicated Saraki,” are still alive and are in court : Moshood said : ” The death of Michael Adikwu, 30 (a dismissed Policeman and an ex- Convict) a sectional gang leader who confessed to having killed 22 persons including pregnant women and nine Police personnel during Offa Bank robbery cannot vindicate the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, the law must take its course. Evidence from the five suspects now in Court is 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 , who confessed to have killed 22 persons including pregnant women and nine Police personnel and carted away of 22 AK 47 rifles at the Offa Police Divisional Headquarters during Offa robbery on April 5, 2018., It is therefore, imperative that the Nigeria Police Force respond to the publication and set the record straight.
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 Senator Saraki and not on the Court processes and proceedings on the case of Offa Bank robbery for which five principal suspects are now standing trial in a State High court in Ilorin, Kwara State.
” For avoidance of doubt, and to correct the insinuations and wrong impressions created by the statement from Mr. Olaniyonu, Senator Saraki in the minds of members of the public over the indictment and involvementSaraki in the case of the robbery ,from the confessions of the five gang leaders namely; Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran arrested for direct involvement and active participation in the robbery and the gruesome killing of 33 innocent persons, Saraki was indicted by the five suspects who admitted in their confessional statements to the Police investigators that they were political thugs of Saraki and the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Alh. Abdulfatah Ahmed.
The five gang leaders further confessed during the investigation that they are political thugs under the name, Youth Liberation Movement a.k.a “Good Boys”.They also admitted and confessed to having been sponsored with firearms, money and operational vehicles. Lexus RX 300 Jeep with Reg. KWARA, KWA 143 RM with inscription SARAKI on a sticker attached to the vehicle.
Mercedes Benz Compressor with number plate, LT 496 KJA, these two Vehicles were used for the robbery by the Five gang Leaders. The first vehicle was later registered after the robbery to divert attention while the suspects were in detention. These confessions were made before the media and the public on June 3, 2018. It is, therefore, evidently clear that the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki has a case to answer in the whole matter.
“It was also discovered during investigations that three gang leaders who participated actively in the 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.
Further investigation into the matter revealed that all 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 gang leaders when paraded by the Police was in ‘Aso Ebi’ (trouser) used during the Senate President daughter’s wedding. The leaders further admitted that they attended the Senate President daughter’s wedding held in Abuja.
” 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, the Senate President Federal Republic of Nigeria in the Offa Bank Robbery are alive and now in Court.
” Michael Adikwu ‘M’ 30Yrs (A Dismissed Police Man and an who confessed to have killed Twenty Two (22) persons including pregnant women and Nine (9) Police personnel and carted away 22 AK 47 Rifles at the Offa Police Divisional Headquarters during Offa Bank robbery was among the three gang leaders captured on CCTV footage and later arrested. Adikwu has not paraded along with the gang leaders now standing trial because he was taken out to arrest other members of the gang and recover the AK 47 Rifles carted away during the Offa robbery.
“Adikwu was not murdered but slumped and died in detention while the investigation into the robbery was ongoing. It is also important for the public to know that the deceased was not among the five gang leaders that indicted and implicated Saraki, therefore, his death cannot in anyway vindicate Senator Bukola Saraki.
There is a post-mortem examination result in respect of the death of Adikwu ‘M’ 30. The indictment Saraki from the confessions of the five gang leaders namely; Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran arrested for direct involvement and active participation in the Offa 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.
” 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 Adikwu and the five 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 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”, Moshood concluded.
