Connect with us

News

Police gives Saraki ultimatum to explain link with offa robbery suspects

Published

on

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!”

. punch

GrassRoots.ng is on a critical mission; to objectively and honestly represent the voice of ‘grassrooters’ in International, Federal, State and Local Government fora; heralding the achievements of political and other leaders and investors alike, without discrimination. This daily, digital news publication platform serves as the leading source of up-to-date information on how people and events reflect on the global community. The pragmatic articles reflect on the life of the community people, covering news/current affairs, business, technology, culture and fashion, entertainment, sports, State, National and International issues that directly impact the locals.

News

The Peruvian Government Has Officially Classified Transgender, Nonbinary And Intersex People As “Mentally ill”

Published

on

According to the country’s ministry of health, the controversial decision was made to ensure the country’s public health services could “guarantee full coverage of medical attention for mental health” for the trans community.

It also categorises “dual-role transvestitism,” “fetishistic transvestism,” and “other gender identity disorders” under the same bracket of mental illness.

The new law will change language in the Essential Health Insurance Plan (PEAS) to reflect the view of trans and intersex people as a mental health disorder.

Trans groups across Peru have loudly condemned the decision as a step backwards for the country’s already complex relationship with LGBTQ+ rights.

Continue Reading

News

Math Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With 2 Students And Getting Pregnant For One Tearfully Reveals The Baby Was Taken Away From Her

Published

on

The UK teacher who had a baby with an underage student while on trial for having sex with another teenage boy broke down in court after revealing her newborn baby girl had been “taken away” from her.

Manchester math teacher Rebecca Joynes, 30, sobbed to jurors over how her baby was taken “24 hours after being born” this past January — and now she only sees her for nine hours a week, Joynes told jurors on Monday, May 13, according to the Manchester Evening News.

“At the moment I have contact with her three times a week for three hours and that’s it,” she said through tears.

Joynes was arrested and released on bail on orders not to have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 after allegedly grooming her pupil, known as Boy A in court, by buying him a $430 Gucci belt before bringing him to her apartment for unprotected sex.

She was suspended from school and eventually fired, but soon after, she began having a relationship with a 15-year-old boy, known in court as Boy B, whom she had a baby with in January.

Joynes, who has denied having sex with either boy when they were underage, told the court that when she learned of the allegations against her she had gone to the second boy in a “panic” and he deleted all of her phone’s content.

The former teacher denied having a sexual relationship with the second boy until after he turned 16 and she was already suspended from teaching.

According to her narration,

She said he had added her on Snapchat twice, which she only accepted the second time because she thought he “wanted to tell her something.”

Joynes said a friendship developed and he quickly became her “best friend” even though the boy would make flirtatious and sexualized comments toward her when he was drunk.

She told jurors that it wasn’t until after his 16th birthday that he messaged her saying “I’ve left school now” with a winky face.

After she received notice that she had been dismissed from her job, he went to her apartment, where following an emotional conversation, they had sex.

The two then entered a relationship that Joynes described as “quite toxic” telling the court how the teenager was “very controlling.”

After discovering she was pregnant, Joynes hid love notes for the boy to find around her apartment.

The notes eventually led to a piece of baby clothing that had the words “I love my daddy to the moon and back” written on it.

The court was told that she gave birth to their baby girl in January, but following an emergency court hearing, the newborn was taken away from Joynes.

Joynes has denied two counts of sexual activity with Boy A; two counts of sexual activity with Boy B; and two counts of sexual activity with Boy B while being a person in a position of trust.

Her trial is ongoing.

Continue Reading

News

First Man To Receive Pig Kidney Transplant Has Died

Published

on

The first Man to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the operation.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), which carried out the procedure in March, announced Sunday, May 12, that Richard “Rick” Slayman, 62, has died.

They said there was no indication his death was a result of the transplant.

Transplants of other organs from genetically modified pigs have failed in the past, but the operation on Mr Slayman, who was suffering with end-stage kidney disease, was hailed as a historic milestone.

In addition to kidney disease, Mr Slayman also suffered from Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

In 2018, he had a human kidney transplant, but it began to fail after five years.

Following his pig kidney transplant on March 16, his doctors confirmed he no longer needed dialysis after the new organ was said to be functioning well.

“Mr Slayman will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation,” MGH said in a statement.

Xenotransplantation is the transplanting of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another.

MGH said it was “deeply saddened” at his sudden death and offered condolences to his family.

Mr Slayman’s relatives said his story was an inspiration.

“Rick said that one of the reasons he underwent this procedure was to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” they said.

“Rick accomplished that goal and his hope and optimism will endure forever.

“To us, Rick was a kind-hearted man with a quick-witted sense of humour who was fiercely dedicated to his family, friends, and co-workers,” they added.

While Mr Slayman received the first pig kidney to be transplanted into a human, it is not the first pig organ to be used in a transplant procedure.

Two other patients have received pig heart transplants, but those procedures were unsuccessful as the recipients died a few weeks later.

In one case, there were signs the patient’s immune system had rejected the organ, which is a common risk in transplants.

Continue Reading

Trending