How Police Tortured Us To Entrap Saraki In Offa Robbery —Suspect

 Shamudeen Bada, a witness, told the Kwara State High Court how men from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT) led by DCP Abba Kyari tortured them in order to entrap former Senate President Bukola Saraki in the April 5, 2018 Offa robbery.

Bada, a former Vice Chairman of Irepodun Local Council in Kwara State, recounted his experience yesterday at the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin during the resumed trial of the suspects in the robbery.

Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, and two other suspects were charged with criminal conspiracy to rob banks, murder of nine police officers and other citizens, and illegal possession of firearms.

When the suspects' families threatened the police with legal action, the IRT agents said they were taking instructions directly from the IGP and that there was no court from Kwara that could stop their operations, the witness narrated. 

During cross-examination at the resumed trial, Bada said, while in detention, the IRT operatives promised to free them if they name Saraki as their sponsor. He, however, said Akinnibosun was shot in the leg when he declined to indict Saraki.  

“After he was shot, I became very nervous, depressed and my health started deteriorating. Kyari brought some nurses to treat me. Before I was eventually released, the police officers gave me conditions before I was released that I must neither grant any press interview nor go to court and that I should quit politics,” he said. 

The witness also disclosed that the police officers directly told him: “You these Kwara boys, we will show you shege. We will take Kwara from your leader, Saraki.”

According to him, their arrest was politically-motivated due to the failure of Lai Mohammed’s camp at the All Progressives Congress (APC) ward congress against the Saraki’s structure. “To deal with the Saraki camp, they needed something to nail them; hence, the Offa Robbery became their option,” he added.

The prosecuting counsel was unable to conclude his cross-examination of the witness due to the fact that a particular document was not brought before the court. Hence, they sought adjournment to obtain the document and the case was subsequently adjourned till January 16, 17 and 18, 2023 for continuation of cross-examination by the prosecution team.