Kyari said in a statement on Thursday through his lawyer, Hamza Dantani, that he never made such an offer to any of the Offa bank robbery suspects nor to anyone.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Former Commander of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Abba Kyari, has denied offering one of the Offa bank robbery suspects the sum of N10 million to implicate former Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
On Wednesday, a suspect in the bank robbery, Ayoade Akinrinbosun, told a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin that Kyari, who is now in prison custody on drug trafficking charges, made him the offer.
However, Kyari said in a statement on Thursday through his lawyer, Hamza Dantani, that he never made such an offer to anyone.
Kyari wondered in the statement how he could afford N10 million when his salary and allowances for three years were not up to the said amount.
The statement reads: “On Wednesday 18 January 2023, a serial bank robber caught in the Act by Bank CCTV Cameras, without credibility tried fruitlessly to absolve himself of his sordid past by dragging the Police officer, Abba Kyari who alongside his team arrested him and charged him to court.
“He told the court that Abba Kyari, a well-known police officer with outstanding records in arresting armed robbers, kidnappers, terrorists and other deadly criminals, offered him ‘N10 million to implicate Senator Bukola Saraki’.
“The bank robber, Ayoade Akinrinbosun, one of the principal suspects in the famous Offa Bank Robbery told the court in Ilorin, Kwara State that DCP Kyari who was Commander of the IGP Intelligence Response Team, IRT, tried to force him to implicate Saraki.
“That is a fat lie. One can easily ask, where would Kyari get that kind of money to dash an armed robber in custody when his salary and allowances for three years is not up to N10 million?
“If Kyari and his team did not have conscience, they could have easily coerced Akinrinbosun to sign a written false statement implicating anyone or by simply promising him soft landing but it is unethical and could not have stood in the face of probity in court of law.
“Kyari with his many years of experience did not at any time coerce or force anyone to implicate anybody no matter how highly placed.
“Rather, he discharged his responsibility based on laid down laws, rules of engagement and police service rules.
“The Offa bank robbers voluntarily confessed that they were political thugs of Saraki. They confessed that Saraki was not aware of the bank robbery.
“They confessed that one of the Lexus jeeps used during the robbery incident was a dash from Saraki.
“These were the findings of the police investigation. All those involved in the Offa bank robbery were subsequently charged to court while some other suspects that were discovered not to be involved were released.
“Also Senator Saraki was not charged to court because it was confirmed that he was not aware of the bank robbery his political thugs carried out.
“The pictures of the Offa bank robbers with Ashobi in Saraki’s house during a ceremony and videos of the robbers joining Saraki’s entourage to greet the King in Offa after the bank robberies are all in public domain before the Bank robbers were arrested.
“It’s obvious Saraki has lots of followers and political thugs just like other Nigerian politicians and he may not know all of them directly. Also he cannot be held liable for crimes committed by his Political thugs without his knowledge.
“If the police wanted to force the bank robbers to say something different, it could have been done easily by any Police officer without conscience by offering the armed robbers soft landing because that is what armed robbers, kidnappers, murderers and terrorists want from the police not money.
“It’s very laughable to attempt to clutch at straws to hear an armed robber in custody saying police offered him 10 million to indict somebody, a bank robber that you charged to court after investigation. Does that make sense?
“Again, Kyari and his team arrested these Offa bank robbers that killed 31 innocent Nigerians by using the CCTV footage of the banks that captured the robbers in the act, for that is there anybody these robbers will hate in this world more than Abba Kyari?
“So, it is not a surprise that they have begun to lie against him by saying many things that are not true the usual way Armed Robbers lie in court to claim they are innocent. Evans the kidnapper and many other convicted armed robbers and kidnappers have said many of such lies in court all in their bids to be exonerated.
“Remember what Evans the Kidnapper who was identified by over 20 of his victims said in court in 2018 during his trial before his conviction for life imprisonment, Among his many lies this one stood out, “that Kyari killed 60 human beings in one hour in his presence to force him to confess that he is a Kidnapper”. Can you imagine such lies?
“Everybody knows that elections are coming soon and it’s mormal for Saraki’s people to strive and win elections in Kwara State, but If they have a hand in this, it is unfortunate and unfair to instigate their political thugs who were arrested for bank robbery (caught live by CCTV Camera) under court trial to lie against Kyari and team who arrested them and charged them to court for robbing five banks in Offa town and killing 31 innocent Nigerians.
“Senator Saraki himself knows those that fought him dirty and said some unprintable things against him because of Politics but not Abba Kyari.
“Abba Kyari has no issue with Saraki at all and he has never planned anything bad against Senator Saraki nor told any armed robber to implicate Saraki or anybody.”
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