BEYOND OFFA ROBBERY: _THE TRANSMISSION OF THE TRANSMITTED CRIME AND THE APPREHENSIVE INVESTIGATION

Joshua BAMIDELE     

_Battle not just the man who carries the gun, but he who seizes the voice_

In a quagmire that has condescended to fiddle the political space of the nation, the recent show of shame between the Ministry of Police Affairs and the National Assembly as it takes its different turn by the day with appalling developments has proven that all arms and systems expected for functionality in the nation are more faulty than we see and people with more vested responsibilities would not hesitate to be a source of national and international disgrace thus demeaning the glory of the nation.

Following the unfruitful invitation of Inspector General of Police by the Senate and the hogwash speech delivery by the IGP, the Lord of the Louis Edet House was fast to retaliate with a high scoring point through the revelation from investigation of the Offa Robbery which led to an invitation of the Almighty Senate President, Number 3 citizen of the Federal Republic by a ‘mere’ Police Force to answer to allegations of pointers to his connection with the robbery incident.

Be it as it may, with the recent press interview of the suspects of the robbery with national press outfits to shed light to the robbery incidence, it can be firmly adjudged that the Senate President allegedly has a relationship with the robbery suspects. However, against the Police conjecture, the senate president is unconnected with the robbery case and this stands evidently as another chief error of the transmitter of transmissions.

The release of the video clip on the interview of the robbery suspects has thrown many loyalists of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki into euphoria as the earlier indictment came as an appall to them and they were firm in refuting its possibilities as expressed on the cyber space. However, as much as it seems like the lord has been vindicated of crime; it is worthy to look at the picture of the big robbery.

From the statement of one of the suspect who confessed to have led the team of alleged robbers, it can be established that there exists an indictment of sponsorship of political thugs and election malpractices on the part of the Senate President. The suspect who identified himself as a graduate of the old University of Ado-Ekiti (now Ekiti State University) noted that Saraki and Governor Ahmed of Kwara State had been using him and his team to manipulate elections and even armed them for election violence which may have led to loss of lives and properties. How then is this far from robbery? It appalls to see this in lesser light to the Offa robbery as it has involved the use of all desperate resources to seize power even at the expense of lives of same citizens the Senate President claimed to love and has earlier said he won’t sponsor a robbery against his own people.

Election violence has been one of the ways in which some of our leaders had been able to forcefully manipulate their way into office in desperation for power. This has been an exposure of the do-or-die affair beclouding the Nigerian political atmosphere with men who have not the people at heart. With an accusing pointer in one of the bigwigs who now stands allegedly culpable for crimes that have claimed the lives of many people in Kwara State and its environs, to what extent do we still behold the Senate President who lords over the house that is saddled with the prime responsibility of guiding the political affairs of executives and other elected and appointed officers and seeing to the overall wellbeing of all Nigerians through effective and impartial decision making.

Be it as it may, as much as Offa robbery is an eyesore that has brought anguish to many homes, the fortification of thugs with arms to destabilize the peaceful electoral processes across a state is equally criminal and worthy of thorough investigation. The National Assembly who have been buying some appalling sense of sentiments and immunities for themselves among the people as evident in the last closed door plenary session have at the center of their roundtable, a big thief who may not even be more criminal than many others in the red chamber and as such should give room for justice to take course. The Police force should also not hesitate to give this an unfair blow and desist from searching for leverages of a score counting spell

JUSTICE SHALL PREVAIL