Detectives interrogated yesterday Senate President Bukola Saraki over the Offa, Kwara State, robbery.
Operatives of the Intelligence Response Team of the Police met Saraki in his National Assembly, Abuja, office in the afternoon.
Saraki was grilled for close to two hours, sources said he responded to questions raised by the police investigation team.
Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris on Monday wrote to request Saraki’s appearance on Tuesday to clear himself of alleged relationship with five principal suspects in the Offa bank robbery investigation.
No fewer than 33 people, including policemen were killed in the robbery.
Saraki failed to honour the invitation but wrote to ask the IGP to detail his men to come to his office to interrogate him as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Apparently in compliance with President Buhari’s directive that Saraki should either be quizzed in his office or asked to give written information, the IGP drafted his officials to Saraki’s office to quiz him on the incident.
Police spokesman Jimoh Moshood, in a statement, said contrary to the insinuation by an online medium that Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami advised the police against pressing any charges against the Senate President for lack of evidence, the Minister of Justice recommended further investigation.
Moshood said: “The DPP’s advice did not exonerate the Senate President; it only called for further investigations into the matter
“It is in the course of further investigations into the case that a letter of invitation dated 23rd July, 2018 was sent to the Senate President to appear on 24thJuly, 2018 at 8.00am before the Investigation Team at Intelligence Response Team office, Guzape Junction, Abuja.
“Consequently, the Force is hereby re-affirming that the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki, has a case to answer by virtue of the facts that the statements submitted by the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki, earlier to the Investigation Team was not explicit and detailed enough, and was discovered to require further clarifications and interrogation, and coupled with the fact the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki, in his statement, claimed that the full text of the statement of the suspects who indicted him in their confessional statements to the Police was not shown to him.
“The Force wishes to inform the media and the public that investigation is still ongoing on the Offa bank robbery and the indictment against the Senate President from the confessions of some of the arrested principal suspects, and that, there is no political influence or consideration in the matter.”
