Counsel to the suspended deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Abba Kyari, Barr Hamza Nuhu Dantani, has denied media reports that his client offered N10 million to an accused (armed robber) caught in the act by CCTV cameras to implicate former Senate President Bukola Saraki.
He stated this in a statement yesterday following statements by the accused in the Offa bank robbery before a court in Ilorin, Kwara State on Wednesday.
Ayoade Akinrinbosun, one of the principal suspects in the Offa Bank Robbery heist told the court in Ilorin, Kwara State that DCP Kyari who was Commander of the IGP Intelligent Response Team, IRT, tried to force him to implicate Saraki.
He told the court that Kyari also offered him “N10 million to implicate Senator Bukola Saraki”.
But reacting, Dantani said the claim was a fat lie, adding “one can easily ask, where would Kyari get that kind of money to give an armed robber in custody when his salary and allowances for three years are not up to N10 million?
“If Kyari and his team did not have conscience, they could have easily coerced Akinrinbosun to sign a written false statement implicating anyone or by simply promising him soft landing but it is unethical and could not have stood in the face of probity in court of law.
“Kyari with his many years of experience did not at any time coerce or force anyone to implicate anybody no matter how highly placed”, he said.
He noted that Kyari discharged his responsibility based on laid down laws, rules of engagement and police service rules.
“The Offa Bank robbers voluntarily confessed that they were political thugs of Saraki. They confessed that Saraki was not aware of the Bank Robbery.
“They confessed that one of the Lexus jeeps used during the robbery incident was a dash from Saraki.
“These were the findings of the police investigation. All those involved in the Offa bank Robbery were subsequently charged to court while some other suspects that were discovered not to be involved were released.
Also, Senator Saraki was not charged to court because it was confirmed that he was not aware of the Bank Robbery his political thugs carried out.
“The pictures of the Offa Bank robbers with Ashobi in Saraki’s house during a ceremony and videos of the robbers joining Saraki’s entourage to greet the King in Offa after the bank robberies are all in public domain before the Bank robbers were arrested.
“It’s obvious Saraki has lots of followers and political thugs just like other Nigerian Politicians and he may not know all of them directly. Also he cannot be held liable for crimes committed by his Political thugs without his knowledge”.
He said, “If the police wanted to force the bank robbers to say something different, it could have been done easily by any Police officer without conscience by offering the armed robbers soft landing because that is what armed robbers, kidnappers, murderers and terrorists want from the police, not money.
It’s very laughable to attempt to clutch at straws to hear an armed robber in custody saying Police offered him 10 million to indict somebody, a bank robber that you charged to court after investigation. Does that make Sense?
Again, Kyari and his team arrested these Offa Bank Robbers that killed 31 innocent Nigerians by using the CCTV footage of the Banks that captured the robbers in the act, for that is there anybody these robbers will hate in this world more than Abba Kyari?
So, it is not a surprise that they have begun to lie against him by saying many things that are not true the usual way Armed Robbers lie in court to claim they are innocent. Evans the kidnapper and many other convicted Armed Robbers and kidnappers have said many of such lies in court all in their bids to be exonerated”.
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