Crime
Senate President, Bukola Saraki in trouble as Buhari grants IGP order to arrest him over Murder cases
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said he had no objections to any plan by the police to arrest Senate President Bukola Saraki over a string of murder cases in Kwara State, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.
The president received Inspector-General Ibrahim Idris at the State House on Friday afternoon, during which he was told of at least 20 murders allegedly linked to Mr Saraki in his home state, according to multiple sources briefed of the meeting.
Sources said the police chief arrived at the State House with a cornucopia of homicide investigation documents relating to Mr Saraki. The top lawmaker could be arrested any day from now following the president’s position that the law should run its course insofar as detectives have sufficient facts to file charges.
Already, the police have declared Mr Saraki a person of interest in the deadly robbery incident in Offa, the second-largest settlement in Kwara State. The police said at least 17 persons, including nine police officers, were killed and five banks raided in the April 5 attack.
The police said the death toll from the robbery has risen steadily to 33 as at last week. Twenty 22 suspects, including a dismissed police sergeant, have been announced arrested.
Mr Saraki was amongst the first set of leaders to condemn the attack and called for a sweeping investigation and prosecution of all suspects.
In a statement on Sunday, police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, said at least five of the suspects arrested in the robbery “admitted and confessed to have been sponsored with firearms, money and operational vehicles” by Mr Saraki and Abdulfatah Ahmed, the state governor.
While parading the suspects on Sunday afternoon, Mr Moshood identified one of them as Ayoade Akinnibosun, a 37 years old resident of the state and the ‘overall’ leader of the armed gang. His vehicle was allegedly one of those used in the robbery. A number plate allegedly registered in Mr Akinnibosun’s name superimposed on a sticker number plate which had ‘SARAKI’ boldly written on it.
Amongst top Kwara government officials named in the robbery were Yusuf Abdulwahab, the chief of staff to the governor, and the environment commissioner.
The police said Mr Abdulwahab, 58, had been taken into custody, but it was not immediately clear whether it was in connection to the robbery. Some local news reports out of Kwara said Mr Abdulwahab was arrested on fraud charges unrelated to the robbery two days ago.
Mr Sakari has been asked to turn himself in at the police intelligence department in Guzape, Abuja. No date was specified for the summon. The Senate President could be arrested if he fails to turn himself in as demanded by the police, especially as he enjoys no immunity from prosecution.
But Mr Ahmed, whose position as governor accords him absolute immunity from criminal charges, has denied the police claims against him .
In a statement to PREMIUM TIMES Monday afternoon, Mr Ahmed said the police allegation that he armed and funded suspects for political thuggery or for any other activity was “false and unfounded.”
The governor said he had never been involved in or encouraged “thuggery or any other form of criminality.” He said the state government provided funds for youth in the state for small businesses; but neither him nor the state government should be held responsible for how the youth use such funds.
On his part, it was not immediately clear whether the Senate President will honour the invitation. His spokesperson, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Sunday afternoon did not return PREMIUM TIMES telephone calls and text messages seeking comments about the police invitation and Mr Buhari’s approval.
Presidential spokespersons, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, did not return multiple requests for comments. Neither did Mr Moshood answer enquiries about Mr Idris’ visit to the State House and the invitation to Mr Saraki.
The disclosure that Mr Saraki had been implicated in murder cases comes three weeks after an open confrontation played out between the police and the top lawmaker.
But the confrontation was over separate criminal suspects arrested in connection to multiple gang killings the state over the past two years. The police abruptly moved the suspects to Abuja after the were arrested in Kwara and charges were being prepared against them over there.
On May 16, the day the police transferred the suspects, Mr Saraki alerted the nation of an alleged plan by Mr Idris and his police team to implicate him in criminal matters.
The top lawmaker told the Senate plenary that Mr Ahmed informed him the suspects were being transferred to Abuja to ease the alleged sinister plot by the police.
The police fiercely rejected the claim in a statement the same day, reprimanding Mr Saraki for his conduct and warning to desist from compromising an ongoing criminal investigation.
Judicial authorities in Kwara asked the police to return the suspects to the state for trial because their charges had already been prepared, a demand that hit a brick wall with the police.
There were initial reports that the suspects, some of whom PREMIUM TIMES later found were suspected cultists , confessed they were sponsored by Mr Saraki, but the Kwara government swiftly debunked the claims , insisting that the suspects did not indict anyone.
Neither the 22 suspects arrested in the Offa robbery nor the murder suspects in cultist clashes have been charged to court. The police earlier stated that they would charge all the suspects upon conclusion of preliminary investigations.
It was not immediately clear how the police arrived at the 20 murders reportedly linked to Mr Saraki when they confirmed 33 deaths in the Offa robbery incident alone. But his arrest, notwithstanding the severity, could prove politically toxic for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said political analyst, Sola Olubanjo.
When Mr Saraki first alleged attempt to frame him up on May 16, the Senate constituted a nine-member emissary to appeal to Mr Buhari to prevail on Mr Idris to relax criminal allegations against the top lawmaker.
Mr Saraki has also been leading a pack of politicians who allege marginalisation within the APC. The politicians, under the so-called nPDP, hold individual grudges, which range from alleged marginalisation over the past three years to their future standing within the ruling party.
Last week, the members met with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House, but details of their discussion were not immediately disclosed.
Mr Buhari was not a part of the meeting, but there was optimism amongst the nPDP members that they would still meet the president.
“You have a ruling party that is facing a general election in less than a year away and its Number One is fighting its Number Three,” Mr Olubanjo said of Mr Buhari and Mr Saraki, who is generally seen as the third most-powerful personality in the country, coming behind the vice president.
“The president is putting the party and his own political future in a critical situation.”
“I am not trying to defend criminality,” the analyst said. “But if we are to be objective in analysing how the police have handled this matter, we would see clearly that they have nothing against the Senate leader but only on a mission to destroy him by all means.”
Bolaji Abdullahi, the national spokesperson for the APC, did not immediately return PREMIUM TIMES’ calls seeking comments about the political fallout of Mr Saraki’s run-in with federal authorities.
A media consultant for the party who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES said he would not be able to immediately quantify how devastating it would be for the APC if Mr Saraki is arrested.
“I would rather tell you that IGP Idris did not make such request to the president on Friday,” said Ayo Akanji, who frequently visits the State House as a media consultant to the administration. “Even if he did, the president did not approve it.”
“Arresting the Senate President could thwart the ongoing reconciliation efforts and that may not be good for the party,” Mr Akanji added.
If Mr Saraki turns himself in and is charged, it would be another criminal charge since becoming Senate President in June 2015. He had been previously docked at the Code of Conduct Tribunal for false and anticipatory declaration of assets. He was discharged and acquitted on all 18 counts, but the Court of Appeal upheld all but two of the charges and returned them to the tribunal.
A civic advocacy organisation, Zamfara Accountability and Development Coalition (ZADC), has accused top officials in the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal of hijacking and diverting funds meant for local government development across the state.
In a statement released on Sunday, signed by its president, Salisu Bako Maradun, the group said the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Commissioner for Finance, the Accountant-General, and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs have allegedly formed a “self-serving alliance” that controls and misappropriates local council allocations.
“These individuals have captured the financial architecture of Zamfara’s 14 local governments. Their actions amount to economic sabotage and a betrayal of public trust,” the statement read.
ZADC said the funds sent to local governments from the Federation Account are routinely withheld and mismanaged at the state level, leaving the local councils unable to deliver basic services or execute projects that could ease the suffering of residents.
“Local governments in Zamfara have become ceremonial offices. The real work of looting is done in Gusau. Month after month, huge allocations arrive, but they disappear before they reach the grassroots,” the group said.
According to the group, this alleged financial malpractice is responsible for the worsening state of infrastructure and public services in rural areas of Zamfara, where insecurity, poverty, and neglect continue to define daily life.
“Health centres have no medicines, schools are empty shells, and rural roads are death traps. Yet the officials at the top are living in obscene luxury,” ZADC said.
The group also accused Governor Lawal of enabling the rot through silence and inaction, despite widespread reports of mismanagement under his watch.
“Governor Lawal cannot continue to look the other way while Zamfara’s commonwealth is stolen in broad daylight. His failure to act has emboldened those bleeding the state dry,” the group stated.
They also describe the state’s Joint Allocation Committee (JAC) as compromised and opaque, claiming that local government chairmen are kept in the dark about the actual figures shared each month.
“The JAC process has become a monthly ritual of secrecy. Funds are shared without documentation, accountability, or transparency. What we have is a complete breakdown of fiscal responsibility,” the group lamented.
ZADC claimed that over the past six months, the state has received billions of naira in local government allocations, yet there has been “zero reflection” of that money in any council area.
“Communities in Talata Mafara, Maru, Bukkuyum, and Tsafe have not seen any government project in over a year. The same can be said for Gummi, Kaura-Namoda, and Bakura. This is not just neglect. It is organised looting,” it said.
The group, therefore, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to launch a full investigation into the finances of Zamfara’s local government ministry and arrest those found culpable.
“We are calling on the EFCC to intervene without delay. This is not the time for subtlety. The commissioner for local government, commissioner for finance, accountant-general, and the permanent secretary must be arrested and charged with corruption,” the statement added.
ZADC noted that the people of Zamfara have suffered enough and can no longer afford to have their future traded by those in power.
“This is a state battling chronic insecurity, mass unemployment, and underdevelopment. Yet those in charge of local government finances are behaving like warlords in a conquered territory,” the group said.
It concluded by demanding that all stolen funds be recovered and channelled back to community projects to give Zamfara’s grassroots a fighting chance.
“We want every kobo accounted for. Zamfara belongs to its people, not a few godfathers and greedy bureaucrats. This impunity must stop now,” the group declared.
Crime
“My Children And I Are Not Safe If You Release Mukaila Salau Actor” – Idowu Keshinro’s Widow Begs Lagos Attorney General
The widow of Idowu Keshinro, a staffer of Ikosi-Ejirin local government who was killed in April 2024 has cried out to the Attorney General of Lagos, Mr. Lawal Pedro, Governor Babajide Sanwoolu over rumours that those arrested in connection to the death of her husband, especially Mukaila Salau Actor will be soon be released unconditionally.
The Widow, Funke Keshinro, in an interview made it known that one of the suspects, Abubakar Sulaimon Miyaki, who has been released, has been boasting of his connection with the attorney general, making it known that the other suspect arrested will soon be released.
She made it known that if they are released as rumoured, the lives of her and the children of the deceased are not safe because the suspects are ready to cause more mayhem for them.
She revealed that rumours have it that the Attorney general of Lagos state has collected the case file for a review of the case and this has stalled sitting on the matter in court. She urged those in power to intervene in the matter to ensure justice prevails.
“Abubakar Sulaiman Miyaki has been saying he has settled attorney general and that they will release those that have been arrested in connection with the death of Idowu Keshinro, my late husband who was shot multiple times and died on April 4 2024. If they are released, my three children and I are not safe because we won’t be able to go anywhere.
“Anyone that is killed is meant to be killed but when criminals are released, they will continue doing what they have done. I want to please urge Governor Sanwoolu to intervene in this matter, I am begging those in power to please help in this matter.
“I learnt the Attorney General has collected the case file for a review and because of that, they are yet to sit on the matter in court. I don’t know what to do other than begging those that can intervene to please help my family.”
Meanwhile, a petition has been written to the Attorney General and Governor Babajide Sanwoolu about the rumoured proposed release of Mukaila Salau Actor and other suspect who had been declared wanted by the Nigeria Police for criminal offences.
“Further to our brief, the aforesaid persons are notorious criminals having criminal cases hanging on their neck as a golden chain. As a result of the criminal activities perpetrated by MUKAILA OLALEKAN SALAU (A.K.A ACTOR), he was declared WANTED by the Nigeria Police for the offences of Criminal Conspiracy, Murder and unlawful possession of fire arms in Moro Village, Ikorodu, Lagos State sometimes in 2017. MUKAILA SALAU (A.K.A ACTOR) and the aforesaid persons have become conkerworms in the lives of the inhabitants of Isiu, Ota-Ikosi Via Agbowa, Ikorodu, Lagos. The said persons are notorious cult members leaders committed crime with impunity at will without any regards to the rule of law. It is painful to stress here that, the said persons perpetrated heinous crime at different times, got arrested but later released without any justification, hence the boast of the aforesald persons that they are well connected and as a result could escape justice even where murder is committed lIke in the instance of our jants thereof. The photocopy of the police special bulletin where MUKAILA OLALEKAN SALAU (AKA A ACTOR) was declared WANTED and photographs of the said person and one of his syndicate are hereby annexed for ease of reference”
It was also noted that Abubakar Sulaimon has also been allegedly committing heinous crimes since his release. The Attorney General was also fingered in the petition as the official that initiated the release of the suspect.
“That upon the preceding paragraph, the Attorney General of Lagos State in a very strange twist of event ordered for a review of the said Legal Advice by the Director of Public Prosecution, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, the Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos and thereupon set free, and terminated the court proceeding against Abubakar Sulaimon Mayaki for the said murder of the said IDOWU KESHINRO to the total shock of all and sundry.”
“Further to our brief, the aforesaid persons are notorious criminals having criminal cases hanging on their neck as a golden chain. As a result of the criminal activities perpetrated by MUKAILA OLALEKAN SALAU (A.K.A ACTOR), he was declared WANTED by the Nigeria Police for the offences of Criminal Conspiracy, Murder and unlawful possession of fire arms in Moro Village, Ikorodu, Lagos State sometimes in 2017. MUKAILA SALAU (A.K.A ACTOR) and the aforesaid persons have become conkerworms in the lives of the inhabitants of Isiu, Ota-Ikosi Via Agbowa, Ikorodu, Lagos. The said persons are notorious cult members leaders committed crime with impunity at will without any regards to the rule of law. It is painful to stress here that, the said persons perpetrated heinous crime at different times, got arrested but later released without any justification, hence the boast of the aforesaid persons that they are well connected and as a result could escape justice even where murder is committed lIke in the instance of our jants thereof. The photocopy of the police special bulletin where MUKATLA¿LALEKAN SALAU (AKA A ACTOR) was declared WANTED and photographs of the said person and one of his syndicate are hereby annexed for ease of reference”
The petition also noted that Abubakar Suleimon has been boasting of his connection with powerful politicians, making it known that he will ensure others in custody are released.
“We have the brief of our clients that ABUBAKAH SULEIMON MIYAKI and others continue to boast that MUKAILA SALAU (AKA ACTOR) would be released unconditionally as they clairned to have connection to few politicians who would lead them to the office of the Attorney General and or have sufficient money to access the said office so as to ensure the Attorney General exercises his prerogative powers under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to release MUKAILA SALAU (A.K A ACTOR) and others in the above mentioned charge.”
It would be recalled that the deceased, Idowu Keshinro, before he died mentioned names of people he identified as his killers. Among them was Abubakar Suleimon Miyaki, Mukaila Salau ACTOR, and several others at large.
The widow of Idowu Keshinro, the murdered Ota Ikosi Ejinrin LCDA staff has cried out for justice following the gruesome killing of her husband whom she had three children with.
The widow, Funke Keshinro stated that since her husband was killed, life has not been the same for her and the children because the deceased was the breadwinner of the family.
She revealed that she had to change the schools of the children because it’s been difficult to afford the private schools their father had enrolled them in before he died.
‘’Since my husband died, life has not been easy at all because when he was alive, he never joked with his children but now, it’s just me alone and it’s not easy. Since he died, I had to change the schools of the children to government-owned schools from private schools because I can’t continue all he used to do.’’
While speaking on what she wants from the government, Funke asserted that she wants justice for deceased husband. She mentioned that she doesn’t want the person that killed her husband to live because there are rumours that the arrested suspect would be released at the next court sitting slated for November 26.
Some of the suspects involved in this murder include Mukaila Salau, Tiamiyu Ahmed, Waliu Suleimon, Ibrahim Ekemode, Akande Ahmed Omogbemi, Abubakar Suleiman Mayaki, and others who are currently at large.
Funke tearfully noted that the children can’t recognize their father because they are still small, explaining how it’s been difficult raising them alone because their father’s life was cut short.
“I want the government to please fast-track justice; the person that killed him should also die. I want justice and nothing more. We have heard that they have arrested some people but we are waiting for judgement. I want a judgment that would be good for the three children and me. These children cannot even recognize their father because they are still young and I have also heard they want to release some of those who were arrested. Please, the government should help me, everyone that knows about my husband’s death should be judged accordingly.”
Meanwhile, in a petition dated October 18th 2024 written to the attorney general of Lagos state, it was noted that the suspects that have been arrested are currently boasting that they will be released at the next court sitting. They had been arraigned at Ogba Magistrate court on two occasions for their involvement in the murder of Idowun Keshinro.
The family of the deceased however, in the petition, called on the Lagos state government and Ministry of justice to ensure justice isn’t perverted for the sake of the deceased family and the peace of the community.
‘’It is our further brief that; other persons who are still at large with their syndicate are now intensifying efforts to ensure that they and the aforementioned persons escape justice by way of perversion of the cause of justice in respect of the subject matter.’’
‘’Furthermore, we have the brief of our client that the said persons and one KABIRU ABUBAKAR SULAIMON who is a brother to one of the defendants in the said charge continue to boast that the defendants would be released unconditionally as they claim to have connection to few politicians who would lead them to the office of the Attorney General and or have enough money to access same so as to ensure the Attorney General exercises his prerogative powers under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to release the Defendants in the above charge unconditionally’’
‘’We believe that the office of the Attorney General is dignifiedly sacred and clothed with Honour and same deserves utmost respect or regard from all and sundry as the case maybe. The noise cum brag of the aforementioned persons to pervert cause of justice at all cost in the above mentioned charge has now become deafening in the circumstance of our client thereof Our client and members of his family are hapless and continue to live in perpetual despair and would suffer untoward agony in the event the above mentioned persons make do of their boast and intention to escape justice in respect of the said charge’’, the petition reads in part.
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