TheCable

Senate President Bukola Saraki says the police is diverting attention from the death of Michael Adikwu, principal suspect in the Offa robbery incident.

Saraki, who was invited by the police in connection to the robbery, has called for an inquiry into the death of the suspect.

Jimoh Moshood, police spokesman, had responded by saying the testimony of the remaining suspects is enough to prosecute Saraki.

Reacting in a statement on Friday, Yusuph Olaniyonu, media adviser of Saraki, quoted the senate president as saying the police have continued to make inconsistent statements and commit more blunders in the alleged bid to cover up.

“The response by the police to his call for inquiry into how the prime suspect in the Offa robbery attacks on April 5, 2018 died was a mere diversionary tactic which was aimed at evading the serious issues of human rights abuse, extra-judicial killing and politicisation of criminal investigations,” he said.

“The police while reacting to our disclosure that the prime suspect had died in custody, caused their spokesman, Moshood Jimoh, to respond that: ‘Michael Adikwu is in police custody in one of the south-west states…helping in the investigation’. The same Police has equally documented the claim that the suspect died during arrest. What a contradiction!

“It is surprising that the police which initially allowed the said Adikwu to grant interviews to several national newspapers while in custody refused to inform the public that the suspect had died until the attorney-general of Kwara state mentioned it on November 21, 2018 in the course of his address to the high court in Ilorin while applying to amend the charge sheet.

“One of the key issues those of us who have been engaging with the international community on the need for them to support Nigeria in the fight against terrorism in the north-east region through supply of arms, provision of training and other technical aid have been confronting is that of the flagrant abuse of human rights and extra-judicial killing by our security agencies.

“This is an instance of what these international partners complain about. The presidency should make a point that the present government does not tolerate human rights abuses; extra-judicial killings; politically-motivated criminal investigations; and refusal to comply with global best practices by security agencies by instituting an inquiry into the case of the death of this suspec

In April, over 20 persons were killed after robbers raided some banks in Offa, Kwara state.