Police
detectives are presently combing South-West states to track other suspects
involved in the April 5 Offa bank robberies and recover firearms hidden by the
gang members, Owojela’s Blog has learnt.
Our
correspondent learnt that seven gang leaders were taking police investigators
to their hideouts in Kwara, Ondo, Osun, Oyo and Ekiti states where they were
believed to have hidden cache of firearms.
The police
had earlier alleged that the gang members carted away 21 AK47 rifles during the
attack on the Offa Police Divisional Headquarters where they killed some
policemen before they stormed six banks where they looted millions of naira and
killed 33 persons.
A source,
who is privy to the investigation, told our correspondent in Abuja on Monday
that Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salawudeen Azeez,
Niyi Ogundiran, Kunle Ogunleye, 35, a.k.a Arrow, and Michael Adikwu, a
dismissed police corporal, were assisting the police to recover and mop up arms
in different cities and communities in the South-West.
The source
said, “We announced during the press briefing in Abuja that we had arrested 22
suspects and we paraded 15 while seven suspects are helping us in the
investigation and recovery of arms in the South-West.
“When we are
through with the investigation, we would present all the suspects to the
public. Opadokun and others are alive and helping us with the investigation.
Reports of their death are false information emanating from the social media.”
The source,
however, declined to disclose the number of firearms that had been recovered,
but noted that investigation was still ongoing.
Spokesman
for the force, Jimoh Moshood, could not be reached for comment on the
development and he had yet to respond to calls and a text message sent to his
line as of the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, a
civil society group, Citizen Communication and Advocacy Centre, says linking
the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to the robbery suspects could tarnish the
image of the National Assembly and portray the nation in a bad light before the
international community.
The director
of the centre, Charles Ibiang, at a press conference on Monday, said, “Are
political thugs not a culture for the present ruling class? Who among them is
exempted? Let us use this case to resolve this issue; citizens must insist on
fairness and justice must be seen to have been done, not vendetta or
vengeance.”
He said
people must ask questions, like an update on the retired police officer the
robbers accused of supplying them arms and ammunition.
Also, the
Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, called on the relevant
authorities, including the police, not to play politics with the issue, saying
an incident that claimed over 30 lives should be taken seriously.
Speaking
while addressing members of the Kwara State Artisans Congress, who protested to
the Government House in support of the Senate President, the governor stated,
“I think we should all put our hands in prayers and urge the police to do a
thorough investigation, arrest all the criminals involved in this dastardly act
to ensure that they are brought to book and justice is done. It is too serious
an issue to be used as a political tool.
Ahmed
explained that his administration had empowered residents of the state so they
could become good entrepreneurs but that those who venture into crime should
face the consequences.
He said,
“You are all aware that we have made this economic development programme
available to different groups in different forms. For those who have learnt
skills among the so-called ‘good boys’, we ensured that they also benefit so
that they will be moved out of the streets.
“However,
those who have chosen to use the support we have given them to engage in
criminality must be made to face the wrath of the law.”
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