Protests rock Offa, Ilorin
Following the invitation of Senate President Bukola Saraki over his alleged link with the Offa bank robberies, youths, market men and women as well as artisans on Mondayn embarked on street protest in Offa and Ilorin.
The protesters accused Inspector General of Police of politicizing the robbery issue that claimed lives in their state.
Offa community High Chief, Bayo Akinola, who addressed newsmen in Offa, yesterday, on behalf of the Olofa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi, Esuwoye II, who is on Lesser Hajj, said the community has left “what has happened to God, but we don’t want the innocent to be punished. We want police to go after the real culprits.” The protesters besieged the palace of the Olofa of Offa, complaining about the politicization of the robbery incident by the police authorities, saying Dr Bukola Saraki should not be implicated.
The youths, under the aegis of Youths Agitators Nationalism Forum, were armed with placards, with inscriptions as “we are one with Saraki in Offa”, “Don’t politicise Offa robbery”, “Baba IGP, this is too much for our leader, Saraki is the leader in Kwara”, “Offa robbery cannot be used to settle political scores”, among others.
Speaking with journalists, president of the forum, Mr. Peter Kayode, said the alleged implication of Dr. Saraki in the robbery incident was unacceptable and uncalled for. He said it was inconceivable that the Senate president could be linked with the armed robbery in Offa community, being the first dignitary that paid a condolence visit to the community over the tragedy.
He also applauded Senator Saraki for the important roles he played to quickly facilitate the release of Armoured Personnel Carriers, APCs, to the community to beef up security in the area, with a view to forestalling a recurrence.
While urging the police authorities to stop politicking with the incident, Kayode threatened that thousands of Kwara youths, including secondary school students, those in tertiary institutions across the state and beyond would be mobilised to trek in protest from Ilorin to Abuja over the incident.
In Ilorin, the state capital, the protesters, under the aegis of Kwara Agenda, asked the Federal Government and the Nigeria Police to stop politicizing the Offa robbery incident. Similarly, elders of Ajikobi Central Ward in the Ilorin West Local Government Area of the state, where Saraki hails from, said they received with shock the invitation of the Senate President by the Police in respect of the unfortunate Offa armed robbery attack.
The elders, in a statement signed by their coordinator, Alhaji Salihu Abdulwahab Agbaji, said: “It is illogical and unthinkable that the Senate President and the political leader of Kwara State will ask bandits to kill the citizens that he leads. “The plot against our son is as a result of his growing popularity across the country, a situation which is making some of his political rivals uncomfortable. We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently call the Inspector-General of Police to order so as to allow our hard-earned democracy to blossom.” More protests.
Another group of protesters that consist of members of the Coalition of Kwara Youths during a peaceful protest from the hinterland of Ilorin metropolis to the Press Centre of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, condemned the invitation extended to Saraki by the police.
The youths, in their hundreds, carried placards with various inscriptions, such as “Stop evil politics,” Be professional”, “No to over-politicization of Offa robbery”, “Saraki is not an armed robber’, “Don’t implicate Saraki.” Addressing newsmen, the Co-ordinator, Kwara Agenda, Haruna Yakub Kannike, said the group was surprised by Police invitation of Saraki over Offa robbery incident, adding that “nothing can be farther from the truth!”.
He added: “Our attention has been drawn to a fresh plot by the Headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force, Abuja, to implicate the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, in the April 5, 2018, dastardly armed robbery attacks on banks in Offa, Kwara State. “During the robbery operation that shook Offa to its foundations, many innocent citizens, including nine policemen, were murdered by the bandits.
“Prominent Nigerians have blamed the wanton killings of harmless citizens in Offa on that BLACK Day on the inefficiency of men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force. “We are, however, surprised to see the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, wanting to politicize a serious criminal offence by insinuating that our revered Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, and our amiable Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed had links with five of the arrested armed robbery suspects. He said.
