The 10-man ad hoc committee set up by the senate to interface with President Muhammadu Buhari over an alleged attempt by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, to implicate the Senate President, Bukola Saraki in a cultism-related case said to have emanated from Kwara State has met behind closed door with the president at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Senate set up the committee last Wednesday after Saraki raised an allegation that the police chief was trying to frame him in the handling of crime suspects arrested in Kwara.
Saraki had told the legislators that the police had transferred four suspected cultists undergoing interrogation in Kwara State to Abuja to make statements to implicate him (Saraki) and the governor of Kwara State, Mr. Abdulfattah Ahmed.
“Distinguished colleagues, just this morning the governor of my state, Abdulfattah Ahmed, called to inform me that certain suspects were arrested on cultism charges in our state and were being prosecuted under state laws but were asked this morning to be transferred to Abuja on the orders of the IGP in an attempts to alter their statements with a view to implicating the state government and particularly myself.
“So, I just want to bring this to the notice of everybody and the international community about what is happening in Nigeria, where we do our work lawfully and as elected representatives of the people and in the process become targets of a political witch-hunt by those whose job it is to protect our rights,” Saraki stated.
Consequently, the lawmakers set up the committee to be led by the senate president. Others are the Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan; Minority Leader, Godswil Akpabio; the Chief Whip, Shola Adeyeye, Abdullahi Adamu, Sam Egwu, Danjuma Goje, Aliyu Magartakada Wamako, Oluremi Tinubu, and Fatima Raji Rasaki.
Saraki raised the alarm on the floor of the Senate Wednesday, with the Senate resolving to send a 12-man delegation to discuss the matter with President Muhammadu Buhari.
But the police had debunked the allegation describing it as “unbelievable claims, unverifiable allegations and unfounded accusations.”
“There is no iota of truth in the allegation and false assertion by the Senate President of plot against him by the IGP to implicate the Kwara State Government and the Senate President in any criminal matter. Until investigation is concluded, any person (s) or group(s) who tries to interfere in the investigation process by action or utterances is committing an offence”, said the police spokesman, Mr. Jimoh Moshood.
Moshood explained that the Kwara State Police Command on the 11 May, 2018, paraded six suspected hired killers, all from Ilorin, who it said had admitted and confessed publicly killing innocent persons in Kwara State and other States of the country.
“The victims according to the suspects were targeted and killed on the instructions of their sponsors”, Moshood stated.
The suspects were identified as Abolaji Safti Ojulari, Lanre Mohammed Soliu a.k.a Askari, Azeez Moyaki, Suleiman Babatunde, Yusuf Habeeb, Umar Yahaya, all from various quarters of Ilorin, the Kwara state capital.
