Men of the Police Force have in the early hours of this morning besieged the residences of the President of the Senate and his deputy, Senators Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu respectively.
While men of the Nigerian Police took position around the Lake Chad, Maitama, Abuja residence of Saraki, the Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and policemen took position around the official residence of Senator Ekweremadu, in the Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja.
The operatives took positions from the main gate up to the official residence of Senator Ekweremadu early this morning. No reason has been given for the siege. The siege is coming on the day that the president of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki is expected to also report at the Guzape Police Station in Abuja.
The moves could abort Tuesday’s sitting of the Senate and maybe prevent the planned defection of many senators who are expected to switch parties at the Senate hearing. Saraki was invited Monday to answer to allegations against him in connection to the Offa robbery which claimed the lives of scores.
But reacting to the development Monday night, Saraki described the invitation sent to him by the Police to report to a station in Guzape over the Offa robbery investigation as a mere afterthought which is designed to achieve political purpose.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has regained freedom and has taken charge at the Senate. Saraki was earlier this morning barricaded by the police from leaving his house under the orders of the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris.
Though he presided over the affairs of Senate Tuesday and read names of 14 Senators who have defected from All Progressives Party, APC, to Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, his whereabout is not yet known.
Senator Abdul-Azeez Murtala-Nyako (Adamawa) who had earlier dumped the APC for the African Democratic Congress, also formalised his defection bring the total number of APC defectors to 15.
With this develoopment, APC has lost the control of the Senate while PDP is in-charge of majority of seats in the Red Chambers. PDP is now on the road to produce Senate President, Deputy Senate President will be retained and also Majority Leader, among other commanding positions.
Recall that in a statement Monday night in Abuja by Yusuph Olaniyonu, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Saraki stated that he has it on good authority that the Police had already decided on the suspects to arraign in court in Ilorin, Kwara State on Wednesday based on the advice of Mohammed U.E., the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), and that the turn around to invite him was a ploy aimed at scoring cheap political points.
The statement read, “I have been reliably informed that the police invitation was planned by IG as a ploy to stop an alleged plan by some Senators and House of Representatives members from defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC). It was also said that if I was detained between Tuesday and Wednesday, that will abort the so-called defection plan.
“While I continue to maintain that the issue of my position on the 2019 elections is not a personal decision for me alone to make, it should be noted that all these concoctions and evil plot cannot deter me. Those behind this fresh assault will fail as I have nothing to do with the robbery incident or any criminal matter for that matter.
“I am aware that following a request made by the Police on June 13, 2018 to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Fedeeation had written a legal advice dated June 22, 2018, in which he stated on page 5, paragraph (f) that “For the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged office and the suspects”.
“The Police have obviously corrupted and politicized their investigations into the Offa robbery incident. They have turned it into an instrument for the party in power to suppress perceived opponents, witchunt issue for blackmailing people from freely choosing which platform on which they want to pursue their ambition and a matter for harassing the people whose exit from APC would harm the chances of the party in the forthcoming elections.
‘’I want to make it apparent that I have no hand in either the robbery incident or any criminal acitivity. The Police in their haste to embarrass me sent the invitation to me at 8pm and requested that I report to the station by 8 a.m. tomorrow morning. This obviously demonstrated their desperation as I do not see why they are now in a hurry.
“They also stated in today’s letter that because in my response of June 7, 2018 to their own letter written on June 4, 2018, I stated that I was responding simply to the contents of the letter and that the full text of the statement made by the arrested suspects which they claimed indicted me was not made available to me, they were now including the suspects statements in the current letter.
”Yet, instead of including the suspects’ statements, they only attached two copies of my own letter to the invitation. No suspects statement was made available. “This plot aimed at compelling me and my associates to stay in a party where members are criminalised without just cause, where injustice is perpetrated at the highest level and where there is no respect for constitutionalism is an exercise in futility and it will fail.
“Once again, my confidence in God and our judicial system remains intact and unshaken. The truth shall also prevail in this case.” Operatives of the Department of State Services and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC are at this moment mounting a joint siege around the official residence of the Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the deputy president of the Senate in the Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja.
-The Vanguard
