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Police gives Saraki ultimatum to explain link with offa robbery suspects
Senate President Bukola Saraki will no longer visit the police over the April 5 Offa, Kwara State bank robbery, it was learnt yesterday.
He is to write a statement, which he will send to the police.
In all, 33 persons, including nine policemen, were gunned down during the operation.
On Sunday, the police said Saraki would be invited to its Intelligence Response Team’s office in Guzepe, Abuja, to explain his relationship with the suspects., who claimed to be Saraki’s and Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed’s thugs.
They also alleged that they were paid and armed by the duo. The suspects however, said neither Saraki nor Ahmed asked them to rob and kill.
Yesterday, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo met at the Presidential Villa with Saraki, Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris, Department of State Services (DSS) Director General Lawal Daura and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami.
At the end of the about one hour meeting, the IG declined comments on the outcome.
He directed reporters to Osinbajo’s men to brief them on the outcome of the meeting. But they never did.
Before that, Osinbajo, Malami, Daura and National Intelligence Agency Director General Ahmed Rufai had met for about one-and-a-half hours at the President’s office.
The IG was not at that meeting.
After the meeting with Osinbajo, Saraki announced that the police had asked him to explain in writing within 48 hours what he knew about the robbery suspects.
In a tweet, Saraki said he received a letter from the Police, informing him that he should no longer bother to appear in person to answer questions.
“They are no longer asking me to appear at the station, but to respond in writing to the allegation within 48 hours which I plan to do,” he tweeted. He had earlier directed his ADC, Usman Na’ Abu Danguza, to collect from the Force Headquarters, Abuja the letter inviting him so that he could immediately honour the police invitation.
Before the Police cancelled the invitation, a source said senators and some House of Representatives members were planning to accompany Saraki to Guzape any day he was to appear before the police.
In Ilorin the Kwara State capital and Offa, the scene of the bloody robbery, scores of people staged solidarity rallies in support of Saraki..
The groups of youths, artisans and traders said the robbery “cannot be used to settle political points.”
Spokesman of the youths Peter Kayode said: “We are ready to walk from here in Kwara to Abuja in support of our leader.”
Some the placards carried by the youths read: ‘Saraki is the leader in Kwara State; ‘ ‘We are one with Saraki in Kwara’; “Haha IGP, this is too much”’etc.
An Offa chief, the Ojomu of Offa, Chief Joseph Akinola, told reporters that the community had left “whaT happened to God, but we don’t want the innocent to be punished. We want the police to go after the real culprits”.
The National General Secretary of Offa Descendants Union (ODU), Chief Atinuke Wosilat McCarty, supported Akinola’s view.
In Ilorin, the coalition of Kwara youths under the aegis of Kwara Agenda, asked the federal government and the Police to stop politicising the Offa robbery.
Also, elders of Ajikobi Central Ward in Ilorin West Local Government Area, where Saraki hails from, said they received with shock the invitation of the Senate President by the police.
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.”
Members of the coalition of Kwara youths during a peaceful protest condemned the invitation extended to Saraki.
The youths, in their hundreds, carried placards with various inscription, such as “Stop evil politics” ;“Be professional”, “No to over politicisation of Offa robbery”, “Saraki is not an armed robber’ and “Don’t implicate Saraki.”
The coordinator, Kwara Agenda, Haruna Yakub Kannike, said that the group was surprised by police invitation of Saraki, 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 foundation many innocent citizens including nine policemen were murdered by the bandit.
“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.
“We are, however, surprised to see the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris wanting to politicize a serious criminal offense 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. Nothing can be farther from the truth!”
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France Urged to Address Colonial Legacy as Senegalese Activists Call for Reparations in Dakar Roundtable
Reporter: Sandra Ani
France’s colonial legacy came under renewed scrutiny as journalists, historians, and pan-African activists gathered at African Memorial Square in Dakar for a powerful roundtable advocating reparations and economic justice.
The event highlighted growing demands for France to take full responsibility for its historical role in Senegal and across West Africa.
Organized by advocacy groups including the Association of Descendants of Senegalese Soldiers, the Front for the Withdrawal of French Military Bases (GASSI), and JIF’AFRIK, the roundtable brought together influential voices pushing for reparatory justice and structural transformation.
Among the key speakers were Babacar Dioh of the Thiaroye 44 Movement—a coalition of descendants of Senegalese tirailleurs—and Souleymane Jules Diallo, leader of JIF’AFRIK. Discussions centered on two central demands: official reparations for colonial-era injustices and the urgent renegotiation of trade and military agreements that activists say perpetuate economic dependence.
“The time for symbolic gestures is over,” said Dioh. “We are now filing an official reparations claim and taking concrete steps to hold France accountable.”
Speakers called for the dismantling of existing neocolonial frameworks, stressing the ecological, financial, and social harm that has endured beyond the colonial period. The roundtable marks a turning point in Dakar’s positioning as a hub for coordinated African-led advocacy aimed at restoring historical justice.
This event adds momentum to a growing continental movement seeking tangible reparative action from former colonial powers and reinforces the call for equity, autonomy, and acknowledgment of historical truths.
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
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