Offa Dacoity: Samsudeen Bada Takes Witness Stand , Accuses Police Of Attempting To Make Suspects Implicate Saraki Under Duress
The bank robbery incident recorded in Offa, Kwara state on April 5, 2018, has been referred to as one of the biggest and most sensational bank robberies in the country.
About thirty people including police officers and a pregnant woman were killed during the robbery incident.
Though the suspects arrested in connection with the case ;Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham and two others were taken to court for the first time in November 2018 , no definitive decision had since been taken in respect of the case four years after.
The issue was made to once again, become a subject of discussion on Thursday as Samsudeen Bada, who was one of those initially arrested by the police but later released , took the witness stand at the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin .
Team@orientactualmags.com learned Samsudeen narrated how police officers attached to the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector General of Police led by the embattled Abba Kyari , a Deputy Commissioner of Police, did all they could to make him implicate former Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki under duress.
Bada ,a one-time Vice Chairman of Irepodun local government , Kwara State, added that when families of the suspects threatened legal action against the police , the policemen attached to the IRT had said they were taking instructions directly from the Inspector General of Police, IGP and that there was no court in Kwara state that could stop their operations.
Samsudeen also said while in detention, they had promised to release them but noted that this was not without a quid pro quo; they must name Saraki as their sponsor. Ayo Akinrinbosun was according to him shot in the leg for refusing to implicate the former senate president.
‘After he was shot, I became very nervous, depressed and my health started deteriorating. DCP Abba Kyari brought some nurses to treat me. Before I was eventually released, the police officers gave me conditions that I must not grant any press interview, I must not go to court and that I should quit politics’ Samsudeen said.
The witness also disclosed that the police officers directly told him, that ‘You these Kwara boys, we will show you shege. We will take Kwara from your leader, Saraki’.
Bada alleged that their arrest was politically motivated citing the failure of Alhaji Lai Muhammed’s camp to achieve desired political objectives during the APC Ward Congress held a few weeks before the incident.
Saraki and Lai were members of the APC until the former senate president returned to the PDP in July 2018.
He added that Saraki’s name was allegedly mentioned in connection with the robbery case as Lai Muhammed’s way of ‘punishing’ him.
This is the second time the police will be accused of attempting to make the suspects implicate Saraki as Ayoade Akinnibosun, who is one of the principal suspects, had in March 2019 made similar allegations.
Failure to produce a certain document reportedly made it impossible for the prosecuting counsel, Barrister Rotimi Jacobs to finish with the cross examination of the witness and he had consequently sought for an adjournment to obtain the said document .
The case was later adjourned until the 16th ,17th and 18th of January, 2023 for continuation of cross examination by the prosecution team- Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you
