Date: 2018-07-26

Prabhat Khabar Logo crime by PREMIUM TIMES Nigeria's Minster of Justice and Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami, has told the police that there was no evidence that linked Senate President Bukola Saraki and Kwara State Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed to the armed robbery attack that left 31 persons dead in Offa, Kwara State, in April.

This was contained in a June 22 letter from the Director of Public Prosecutions to the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

PREMIUM TIMES obtained a copy of the letter on Tuesday, which was signed for Mr Malami by DPP Mohammed Umar.

The attorney-general's office said only six prime suspects should be charged to court for armed robbery and murder which could draw capital punishment upon conviction. Olalekan Alabi, a personal assistant to Mr Ahmed, was also recommended for trial, but only on lesser charges of illegal possession of arms.

Yusuf Abdulwahab, Mr Ahmed's chief of staff who was amongst state officials arrested for allegedly conspiring with the prime suspects, was also cleared, with the prosecutor saying "no evidence is credible enough to sustain any charge based on any offence known to law against him."

Umar examined the crime and the suspects the police lined up in their first information report submitted to the attorney-general's office for prosecution, and came up with legal and technical suggestions about how to properly build a case that would not be discarded at a glance when the potential criminal trial gets underway.

"For the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged offence and the suspects," the prosecutor said.

The three-pronged blanks that the police must sufficiently fill before bringing charges against Saraki and Ahmed include whether the planning and the execution of the robbery attack were carried out at their instance, knowledge or approval; whether the weapons used for the robbery attack were supplied by either of the top politicians; and any other areas that may assist in establishing that they were aiding and abetting criminal activities.

The prosecutor also said the police would need to conduct deeper investigation before any charges could be brought against Mr Abdulwahab.