A group under the auspices of Citizens Communication and Advocacy Center (CCAC) yesterday urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, to act professionally and unbiased in handling the Offa bank robbery saga.

CCAC called on President Muhammadu Buhari “not to remain aloof or being seen protecting anybody but wades into the issue because it is capable of derailing our democracy.”

CCCAC Executive Director Charles Ibiang at a news conference in Abuja on the development warns that linking the Senate President Bukola Saraki to the Offa Bank robbery by the Police portend a great danger to the country’s democracy and serious threat to foreign investors’ confidence in doing business in Nigeria and with Nigerians.

Ibiang advised the police to carry out proper investigation on every side before conclusion.

Citizens, he said must insist that fairness; justice must be seen to be done and not vendetta or vengeance.

The group also condemned the call for the immediate sack of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmoud Yakubu by the Southern, Middle Belt Leaders Forum.

It described the call as ‘too early, assuring that INEC boss has been a man of integrity.

His words: “There has been a rash of unjustifiable attacks, killing and massacres in various parts of the country, putting our collective safety as a people in great jeopardy.

“Recently, as you are aware, the peaceful town of Offa in Kwara State was greeted by group of daredevil robbers for a bank robbery and carnage, leaving behind in its trail unfortunate deaths of Offa citizens and officers of the Nigerian Police with attendant destruction of properties.

“The centre condemns in the strongest terms this unfortunate incident and describing it as ungodly satanic and sheer wickedness. We extend our heartfelt condolences and commiserate with the families who lost their loved ones, the people of Offa and Kwara State.

“We call on the security and judiciary to make sure the culprits are severely punished or prosecuted according to the law of the land. We acknowledge the Police for the speedy arrest of the culprits and wish this rapid response action be extended to other cases pervasive in the country.

“However, we are very concern about the politicisation of the issues in the Offa bank robbery whereby a legislator is accused, the Senate President Senator Bukola Saraki is been accused of sponsoring armed robbery despite the fact that he is the head of all important legislature, the third-ranking political office holder in Nigeria and former two time governor of Kwara State. By this action, we are worried that the dastardly act maybe compromised.

“In the same vein, we are concern that the integrity of Senate President and entire institution of the National Assembly would be tarnished and reduced to rubbles on unsubstantiated allegation of sponsoring or aiding robbers and murderers. The centre considered this very mundane, petty and the lowest we could degenerate as people capable of portraying us badly before the international community.

“We condemn this recent pastime of the Police in fighting serious crime in our country troubling, where security operatives will attempt to frame up highly place public officers using hardened criminals just to get at them for holding contrary view on National Issues without serious consequences or sanction by the appropriate or regulating institutions.”

Update news