PDP, APC  Trade Words over Long-settled Offa Bank Robbery Incident in Kwara State

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin 

The Kwara State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), weekend, condemned the response by the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the renewal of the long-settled Offa robbery incident in the state.

The PDP stated that, the APC reliance on empty threats such as “you will face the law” as not only laughable but a clear demonstration of intellectual hollowness.

The APC, in the state at a news conference over the weekend  described the former Senate President. Dr. Bukola Saraki’s denial as “melodramatic” and “characteristically deceitful,” insisting that the courtroom—not the media—was the proper venue for his defence.

Addressing reporters at the party’s state secretariat in Ilorin, APC Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Abdulwaheed Babatunde, asserted that the 20-count charge (Case No: KWS/114C/26) filed by the state government was a legitimate exercise of the law, not a political vendetta.

However, the PDP in a statement by the State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, noted that, “In Dr. Saraki’s response to this renewed politically -motivated trial, he unequivocally reaffirmed his innocence and expressed readiness to meet any accuser in court, while also reiterating his confidence in the Nigerian judiciary. Against this backdrop, the APC posturing is not only redundant but illogical.

“For the sake of emphasis, we hereby state that there is absolutely nothing new in the documents that Governor Abdulrahaman Abdulrazaq and his cohorts are currently parading in this renewed court process. These same claims have been previously investigated by the security agencies.

“It is instructive to remind the public that on two separate occasions, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation after thorough review of the police reports, not only absolved Dr. Saraki of all allegations but explicitly stated that there was no link—direct or indirect—between him and the crime or the suspects involved in Offa robbery . 

“What further proof does the APC require to accept that Dr. Saraki has fully submitted himself to the law even before Governor Abdulrahaman came into office? 

“We challenge Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and the APC to answer a simple question: if this matter is genuinely about justice, why was this so-called trial not initiated alongside the original prosecution of the convicted offenders?

“It is equally important to recall that the convicts, who initially made televised confessional statements, later told the court that they were coerced by police officials handling the case to implicate Dr. Saraki.

“According to them, they were promised visa to leave the country, money, removal from the trial list, and other rewards if they implicated Dr. Saraki. Is the Kwara State government conveniently blind to these revelations made under oath in open court?”

But the Kwara State chapter of the APC, addressing reporters at the party’s state secretariat in Ilorin, asserted that the 20-count charge (Case No: KWS/114C/26) filed by the state government is a legitimate exercise of the law, not a political vendetta.

APC Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Abdulwaheed Babatunde, alleged that Saraki’s relationship with the individuals convicted for the robbery is a matter of public and judicial record. 

He specifically referenced the testimonies of the former Chief of Staff to the Governor, Yusuf Abdulwahab, and Ayo Akinnibosun, one of the convicts who previously headed a political group allegedly funded by the former Senate President.

“Neither Saraki nor the PDP needs to lose sleep if their hands are clean. But they must come to terms with the fact that the court deals with evidence and fact, not dramatic statements that seek to erase the facts of history,” he stated.