The Senator representing Kwara South Senatorial District in the National
Assembly, Rafiu Ibrahim , has said a team of senior legal experts will
handle the allegation of complicity in the Offa robbery saga levelled
against the President of the Senate , Bukola Saraki, by the police .
The
police have insisted that Saraki is needed to make certain
clarifications on the statement of the suspects arrested in connection
with the robbery despite the legal advice from the office of the
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice , which
absolved the Senate President of any complicity in the act .
But
Ibrahim , who is among the 14 senators , who defected from the All
Progressives Congress on Tuesday, told our correspondent in a telephone
interview that Saraki’ s lawyers , who are mainly Senior Advocates of
Nigeria , were already brainstorming on the case .
The Senator ’ s
clarification appears to be an indication that the Senate President may
not honour the police invitation and would rather ask his lawyers to
handle the matter.
His declaration came on the heels of the
insistence of the Force PRO, Moshood Jimoh , that Saraki still had a
case to answer notwithstanding the fact that a team of investigators
grilled the Senate President last week in his office .
Ibrahim
said , “ The Senate President has a very strong legal team of many
senior advocates of Nigeria who are already working on the issue. He has
a legal issue with the police and he will take the case up legally . ”
He
explained that the executive arm of government bungled a fresh strategy
that was being coordinated by Saraki aimed at reconciling aggrieved
federal lawmakers with the APC leadership when the police reportedly
barricaded the Senate principal officers’ homes in Abuja .
He
said , “As we were strategising on how to convince our members to let us
reconsider our stand and shelve our plans to defect , the police
brought a letter by 8 pm on Monday , asking the Senate President to
appear before them by 8 am on Tuesday.
“ The following day, very
early in the morning, the EFCC went to the house of the Deputy Senate
President , Ike Ekweremadu , blocked his house and successfully ensured
that he did not go out.
“Simultaneously , some policemen were
also at the home of the Senate President with a specific instruction to
prevent him from leaving his house . Those who could carry out such
actions could as well kill the principal officers or bomb their houses.
“
My concern at the moment is to ensure that the Senate President is
alive . The agents of government are getting desperate just to actualise
their plans. ”
Ibrahim added , “ Their plan was to ensure that
the two of them were not available for plenary on Tuesday so that some
senators could remove Saraki and Ekweremadu as Senate President and
Deputy Senate President, respectively .
“ However , God , in his
infinite mercies and powers , used some people to disorganise their
plans by helping Saraki to preside over plenary on Tuesday. It was God ,
nothing else .
“ We adjourned abruptly on Tuesday because the
federal authorities deployed armed policemen who laid siege to the
residences of our presiding officers.
“ If they can put the SP
and the DSP under house arrest , what stopped them from arresting
senators on the streets of Abuja and institute frivolous litigation
against them ?”
The senator added that members ’ defection on the floor of the National Assembly chambers would be in phases . ”
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