This is not a good time for the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki. It is no longer news that he was allegedly linked with a robbery incident that took place in Offa, Kwara State when a group of dare-devil armed robbers attacked five banks in Offa, carting away unspecified sums of money and killing dozens of people in the process.
The police exhibited amazing proficiency as they arrested a good number of the main actors in the robbery saga, almost with efficient speed! Some of the arrested robbers allegedly confessed the Senate President’s (Bukola Saraki’s) “involvement” in the Offa bank robbery incident, whereupon the Police invited him (Saraki) to the Louis Edet House, Police Headquarters, in Abuja for questioning.
The Police released a transcript of the confession of the Offa robbery attack suspect that indicted Saraki. Though, the Senate President has denied any link with these robbers, there are strong indications that with the way the case is going and the determination of the Police to get to the root of the matter, it may not be long before the truth is uncovered.
A cursory look at the travail of Saraki, who hails from Kwara State shows a glaring similarity and there can be a comparison between him and Chief Samuel Taiwo Oredein (ST Oredein).
Comparism of ST Oredein and AB Saraki: A case study of April 13th, 1971 Bacita and April 5th, 2018 Offa bank robbery respectively.
- Both incidents occured in kwara state in the same month of April. Bacita robbery occured on the 13th of April, 1971 while Offa robbery occured on the 5th of April, 2018.
- The personalities involved are both powerful and inflencial: ST Oredein was the Principal Organising Secretary of Action Group (AG) in the first republic with legal authority to quary Ministers and chairmen of government’s statutory cooperation while AB Saraki was former kwara state governor and number one citizen of the 8th National Assembly.
- When the news broke in 1971 of ST Oredein involvement in a case of armed robbery, it was greeted with shock and unbelief. It must have been a mistake, people thought. Or could it have been a political frame-up? Equally in 2018, when the news of confessional statement of robbers involved in Offa bank robbery indicted AB Saraki it was mixed with controversy as many were lamenting his indictment as political persecution and witch-hunting as a result of face-off between the Senate and the Executive arm.
- The Bacita robbery attack was as daring as it was audacious. Two officers of Barclays Bank (Now Union Bank) and two policemen who were in the vehicles that were attacked by the armed robbers were seriously wounded. One of the wounded persons later died of his injuries at the hospital while Offa robbery was more or less a genocide which left about 12 police men dead and more than 21 civilians were killed with uncountable numbers of injuries.
- The ring leader in Bacita robbery claimed that ST Oredein was his boss during the days of politics when he (Adigun) was the head of ST Oredein political boys while the ring leader in Offa robbery also admitted to be AB Saraki political thug when he (Ayoade) equally admited to be on the payroll of AB Saraki as political thug.
- In truth, Chief ST Oredein was not a poor man by any standard. Everybody knew he was a man of means while Senator AB Saraki is undoubtedly known to be money bag and stinkingly rich with both the inherited asset and political accumulated wealth.
- ST Oredein were not physically present on the scene of robbery in Bacita while AB Saraki were inarguably also not physically present on the scene of Offa robbery, both distinguished personalities were only indicted for abetting and harbouring armed robbers.
In the end, ST Oredein was found guilty of charges against him and was sentenced to life imprisonment by the presiding judge who happened to an indigene of Offa in person of late Justice Moradeyo Adesiyun for harbouring and abetting armed robbers.
#If an Offa man (Justice Adesiyun) can ensure justice for Bacita bank robbery in 1971, It is also more than pertinent for Offa community to equally seek justice by all means to Offa gruesome killing/bank robbery in 2018
