Politics
I Have No Link With Offa Robbery Suspects, Saraki Writes Police IG Again

For the second time, President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has written to the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, in response to his invitation to appear for an interrogation over the allegations made against him by armed robbery suspects who attacked banks in Offa, Kwara State.
The police had in June invited Saraki for questioning over the bank robberies in Offa on April 5, but the Senate President responded to the invitation in writing.
The IG, in a letter dated July 23 and addressed to the Senate President, again asked Saraki to report to the police on Tuesday at 8 am to provide further clarification on his relationship with the five leaders of the robbery gang.
Idris, in his latest letter, insisted that the gang leaders claimed they were political thugs to Saraki, adding that “the Senate President supplies arms and money to the thugs; that everyone in Kwara Central fears them because of their guns and ability to kill anybody without hesitation.”
The Senate President, however, did not honour the invitation. He had escaped the siege laid to his Maitama, Abuja residence by the operatives of the Department of State Services and men of the Nigeria Police.
Asked on Wednesday if Saraki would answer the summons by the police, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu, said his boss had responded to the police in writing.
Olaniyonu also said Saraki had answered all the questions raised by the police in his letter to the IG.
He added that Saraki’s letter was written and dispatched to the police on Tuesday, stressing that its receipt was duly acknowledged.
Olaniyonu further stated that after answering all the questions raised by the police in his letter, he did not believe that there was any further need for Saraki to go to the police personally.
“He has written a letter to them and the letter has taken care of the purpose of the invitation. He sent the letter to them yesterday (Tuesday). The letter addressed the issues raised in the invitation letter,” Olaniyonu said.
The police spokesman, Moshood Jimoh, could not be reached for comment on Saraki’s letter as he did not respond to several phone calls. He had yet to reply a text message as of the time of filing this report.
Also, it was learnt that the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, had written the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission requesting another date to appear before the commission.
It was learnt that Ekweremadu sent the letter to the EFCC on Wednesday.
A senior EFCC official told our correspondent that the senator noted that he wasn’t given ample time to honour the invitation and would, therefore, need more time.
The EFCC official said, “We received a letter from Senator Ekweremadu requesting another date to appear before us. We will respond to him in due course.”
Officials of the anti-graft agency accompanied by scores of policemen had on Tuesday laid siege to the Deputy Senate President’s home on Jim Nwobodo’s home, Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja.
The EFCC operatives had attempted to arrest Ekweremadu barely hours after inviting him.
In a letter signed by the Director of Operations of the EFCC, Mohammed Abba, with a reference number, ‘CR.3000/EFCC/DOPS/Vol.49/40 dated July 24, 2018, the commission asked the Deputy Senate President to immediately make himself available for questioning.
In the letter titled, ‘Case of Conspiracy, Abuse of Office and Money Laundering’, the anti-graft agency said the request was made pursuant to Section 38(1) of the Economic and Financial Crimes (Establishment) Act, 2004.
The letter read in part, “The commission is investigating the above-mentioned case in which your name featured prominently and the need to obtain certain clarifications from you became imperative.
“In view of the above, you are kindly requested to report and interview by the undersigned at 5 Fomela Street off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent Wuse 2, Abuja on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, at 10 am prompt.”
EkweremaduEkweremadu could not be reached to confirm or deny his response to the EFCC. His Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu, was contacted via telephone on Wednesday afternoon but he asked for more time to reach out to his boss. When he was called again at 7:45 pm, he said his boss was not home.
Anichukwu had yet to reply, as of the time of filing this report, to the text message sent to him telling him about the information from the EFCC source.
In a related development, Ekweremadu has given more details on the siege to his Abuja residence by the operatives of the EFCC.
A statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu, on Wednesday, quoted Ekweremadu as explaining the situation on Tuesday when the leaders and members of the Senate and the Peoples Democratic Party visited him after the security agents had left.
The Deputy Senate President said the security agents left at about 12:20 pm after spending about six and a half hours.
Ekweremadu said, “We anticipated that a number of our colleagues in the All Progressives Congress would defect and join the Peoples Democratic Party. In anticipation of that, the APC leadership had tried to stop them. When that didn’t happen, the first thing they did was to invite President of the Senate (Bukola Saraki) to come to the police this (Tuesday) morning. They believe that once the President of the Senate goes to the police, I would be the one to preside and probably give effect to the letter of defection.
“In anticipation of that, the police, the EFCC and other security agencies came together — about 200 of them — to stop me from going to the National Assembly. They said I should come to the EFCC to give an explanation over the things I was accused of. I agreed to follow them even though there was no prior invitation, but they were not eager to let me go to answer the invitation.
“The plan was to stop me and the President of the Senate from going to the National Assembly. Unfortunately for them, the President of the Senate was already at the Senate to preside over the plenary session.”
Meanwhile, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State on Tuesday night separately met with Saraki and Ekweremadu. While he visited the Deputy Senate President at his residence, the governor met with the Senate President at his office.
Speaking to journalists at the National Assembly, Fayose said the defections from the APC were for Nigerians and not the PDP. He said the defectors had taken a “path of honour.”
Two of the 14 senators who dumped the APC on Tuesday had denied joining the PDP. While Senator Monsurat Sunmonu (Oyo-Central) said she defected to the ADC, Senator Lanre Tejuoso (Ogun-Central) said he had yet to join another party.
News
Ex-Minister Nnaji Resigns to “Protect Integrity,” Denies Forgery Claims

Former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Geoffrey Nnaji, has stepped down from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, citing the need to safeguard his integrity and prevent distractions to the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Presidency confirmed Nnaji’s resignation on Tuesday, following heightened public scrutiny over allegations of certificate forgery and inconsistencies in his academic records.
In a statement released the same day, Nnaji said his decision came after “careful reflection and consultations with family, associates, and well-meaning Nigerians.” He described the claims as part of a “sustained campaign of falsehood” that he believes is politically motivated, aimed at undermining both his character and office.
“These baseless allegations and media distortions have caused personal distress and begun to distract from the important work of the ministry and the Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said.
Nnaji emphasized that his resignation should not be interpreted as an admission of guilt, but rather as a personal choice to uphold due process and allow judicial proceedings to take their course.
“I cannot, in good conscience, allow these distractions to overshadow the noble objectives of the Tinubu administration,” he added, reaffirming his decades-long record of dedication and service.
Appointed in August 2023, Nnaji’s tenure ended amid investigations into alleged procurement irregularities and a public dispute with the Enugu State Government over the certificate forgery allegations.

News
Gov AbdulRazaq Blames Saraki, PDP for Kwara’s Security Woes — Cites 2018 Offa Robbery

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has blamed the deteriorating security situation in the state on the legacy of the 2018 Offa bank robbery, linking the incident to the leadership of former Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking with journalists during a visit to Oke-Ode, the governor accused Saraki of “playing politics with security” and urged him to take responsibility for the tragic robbery incident that claimed 33 lives before criticising the current administration.
> “It was under PDP. Bukola Saraki bears a court statement that he is the leader of PDP in Kwara. Under his leadership, 33 people were killed in one day,” AbdulRazaq said in a viral video.
The governor further alleged that the armed gang behind the deadly robbery were Saraki’s loyalists, claiming they used “Aso Ebi of Saraki’s wedding” and vehicles branded with his name during the operation. He maintained that the PDP lacked the moral authority to challenge his government’s efforts in tackling insecurity.
In September 2024, a Kwara State High Court delivered judgement on the case, sentencing five suspects to death by hanging after finding them guilty of armed robbery and culpable homicide.
The convicts — Ayoade Akinnibosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye, and Adeola Abraham — were part of the gang responsible for the massacre.
Meanwhile, several communities in Kwara South and Central, including Oke-Ode, Patigi, and Marri, continue to suffer repeated attacks by armed gangs, leading to rising fear among residents and mass displacement from rural areas.


Politics
Jonathan: Boko Haram Once Nominated Buhari for Peace Talks

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that Boko Haram insurgents once nominated former President Muhammadu Buhari to represent them in peace negotiations with the Federal Government.
Jonathan made this known during the public presentation of Scars, a book by ex-Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd.), in Abuja. He said the nomination came through one of the dialogue committees set up during his administration.
He explained that he expected Buhari, after assuming office in 2015, to leverage that unique opportunity to reach a truce with the group — but the insurgency persisted, underscoring the complexity of the conflict.
Jonathan also highlighted that Boko Haram’s access to sophisticated weapons showed foreign involvement, not just hunger or poverty. He described the Chibok girls’ abduction as a permanent scar on his presidency and urged military officers to document their experiences for future understanding.
Boko Haram first emerged in Borno State in the early 2000s and became a full-blown insurgency after the death of its founder, Mohammed Yusuf, in 2009. In 2012, the group listed Buhari among trusted northern leaders to mediate, but he publicly declined.

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