Senate President Bukola Saraki
has called for an inquiry into the death of Michael Adikwu, the principal
suspect in the Offa robbery incident.
We had reported that Adikwu may
have died in police custody after his name was missing in the list of suspects.
Kamaldeen Ajibade, Kwara
commissioner of justice, confirmed his death on Wednesday. He made the
disclosure during the arraignment of five suspects connected to the heist at a
Kwara high court.
Over 20 persons were killed in
April when the robbers raided some banks in Offa.
In a statement, Yusuph Olaniyonu,
special adviser to the senate president, quoted Saraki as saying that the
disclosure has vindicated his claim that Adikwu had been murdered.
Saraki said the development
explains why “there had been inconsistencies in the various statements by the
police”.
The statement read in part: “It
should be recalled that when we mentioned it that the principal suspect had
been murdered and that investigation into the Offa robbery attack was
politically motivated and targeted at implicating me and other individuals, the
police public relations officer, Moshood Jimoh said: ‘Michael Adikwu is in police
custody’.
“The fresh facts have now thrown
more light into why there had been inconsistencies in the various statements by
the police. The police initially told the attorney-general of Kwara state that
the principal suspect was alive and they only later reluctantly disclosed that
he died in the course of arrest.
“How can a suspect confirmed to
be in custody now be said to have died in the course of arrest? This
contradiction shows a deliberate attempt to cover up something.
“It is obvious that the police
have orchestrated the information they give to the public on the Offa robbery
only to tarnish the image of the Kwara state governor and myself. We are
calling for a public inquiry to probe the issues of extra-judicial killing, the
cover-up of this killing with the aim of framing up some individuals for
political purpose and politicising of criminal investigations. The facts need
to be laid bare.
“The inquiry may help to further
document and define the terms of handling of suspects in police custody and how
to prevent extra-judicial killing of suspects, for whatever purpose.
“With the facts on ground, the
issues that should be unearthed by the inquiry include: When exactly did the
suspect die? How did he die? Why was the police denying the facts of his death
when they knew he had died? At what point did the Police leadership knew of the
death? Why are the police covering up the facts?”
Saraki also called for a diligent
and prompt prosecution of the suspects so “that justice can be transparently
done to both the victims of the Offa robbery and the accused persons”.
The senate president had been
invited by the police over the matter but he was later asked to give his
statement in writing.
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