AUDIO: Saraki didn’t ask us to rob but we are his political thugs, says arrested gang leader

On Sunday, the police invited Senate President Bukola Saraki over the robbery attack which took place in Offa, Kwara state, on April 5.

Armed robbers had attacked five commercial banks in the community, killing at least 33 persons, including nine police officers.

The police later arrested some suspects. Jimoh Moshood, police spokesman, paraded them in Abuja on Sunday.

Moshood said the force would probe Saraki’s connection with the suspects.

In an interview with reporters, Ayodele Akinnibosun aka AY, leader of the gang, alleged that his group had been working for the senate president since he was governor.

Saraki governed Kwara between 2003 and 2011.

Below is the interview with Akinnibosun:

Journalists: Can we meet you?

AY: My name is Ayodele Akinnibosun aka AY. I am the chairman of Liberation Youths movement Kwara South. I work for Senate president and Governor Ahmed as political mobilising youth and we have been working for long time since he was Governor of Kwara.

Journalists: Be specific. What exactly do you do for Saraki, what type of works?

AY: We mobilise and do political arrangement for him in Kwara south.

Journalists: Describe the work you do, what the police PRO said has to do with robbery and that is weighty, you are talking politics and that is light. What do you do for senate president?

AY: Where we can’t win, we make arrangement there, we scatter elections if we don’t win.

Journalists: What is the connection between the robbery and the senate president?

AY: The connection is that for example, this car was given to me by his excellency through the chief of staff of Kwara state as a gift from leader.

Journalists: Who is his excellency?

AY: Governor AbdulFatai Ahmed

Journalists: Please what has Offa robbery got to do with your story? Did you participate in Offa robbery?

AY: Yes, I participated in the Offa robbery. I used this Lexus car given to me for the  operations in Offa robbery.

Journalists: What was the plan? They gave you a car for political mobilisation or thuggery issue but you moved it into robbery. We want to know the link. You are telling us a different thing. Did the Senate president or governor send you to be killing or stealing from Kwara people? Simple and straightforward, that’s what we want to know.

AY: The senate president and governor of Kwara state, we have been their political thugs, that’s what encouraged us to the robbery.

Journalists: So this robbery, how did you get your weapons?

AY: It was through this… one retired police officer, Michael (Adikwu) … he was the one that comes with ammunition.

Journalists: Please, is the governor or Saraki aware of the robbery? Did they send you for the operation?

AY: No! They did not send us for the robbery but because we are their political thugs, that’s what led us to the robbery.

Journalists: You have access to governor and senate president. There’s nothing you need that they won’t give you. Why did you have to engage in robbery with all these opportunities?

AY: It is devil that pushed us.

Journalists: Please, is the governor or Saraki aware of the robbery? Did they send you for the operation?

AY: No! They did not send us for the robbery but because we are their political thugs, that’s what led us to the robbery.