‘Saraki didn’t sponsor thugs to beat up observers at Kwara court’

Bamikole Omishore, special assistant on new media to Senate President Bukola Saraki, says his principal did not sponsor thugs to beat up observers at a high court in Kwara state.

On Wednesday, there was pandemonium at the court when some thugs unleashed violence on people who came to observe proceedings in the libel case between the senate president and Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters.

The court had asked Sowore to pay Saraki N4 billion for allegedly defaming him. But the activist is seeking a vacation of the order.

Sowore gave his own account of what transpired at the court on his Facebook page, alleging that thugs hired by the senate president attacked his lawyers and supporters.

But in a statement sent to TheCable on Wednesday, Omishore denied the allegation.

“It is absolutely false that supporters of the senate president attacked anyone. It is on the record that Sowore has been making frantic efforts to instigate people against Saraki,” he said.

“Sowore posted on his Facebook page a few days ago begging people to come to court in Kwara state to his defence which failed, that must have been why he paid two people to disrupt the court proceedings.

“I was informed that two individuals were apprehended in Ilorin Kwara state at the premises of the court for trying to cause a fracas, during questioning they mentioned that they were paid by Omoyele Sowore of Sahara Reporters.

“Since the judge ruled against Sahara Reporters to pay damages of N4 billion, Sowore has been running from pillar to post to intimidate everyone including members of the judiciary. But the time has come for that to stop and we are determined to follow this to the letter.‎”