Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki on Tuesday, December 8,
dismissed claims that he was the owner of the N310m said to have been
stolen during a robbery operation involving some military and State
Security Service (SSS) officials.
In a statement by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph
Olaniyonu, Saraki said the stolen money did not belong to him and that
he did not know the owner, who is said to be a Bureau De Change
operator.
"The Senate President was in Paris attending the Globe COP 21 Conference
for Legislators on the Climate Change when we read the Sahara Reporters
version of the report on a statement issued by the spokesperson of the
SSS.
The initial reaction of the Senate President when his
attention was drawn to the SaharaReporters story in Paris was that the
owners and their sponsors of the online medium simply wanted to draw him
into a needless controversy and therefore they should be ignored.
However, on his return to Abuja Monday night when many of his friends
and well wishers expressed concern over his silence on the report, it
became necessary for him to make clarification on it.
"We want to say categorically that Dr. Saraki is not the owner of the
stolen money. He does not know the owner who is said to be a Bureau de
change operator. The Police that investigated the robbery incident and
the SSS, which issued a statement on it, can confirm that there is no
link between the Senate President with the ownership of the money.
"Unfortunately, two of the suspects in the case are said to be part of
the men attached to the security team of the Senate President. As
anybody could confirm, the SSS selects its officers who are attached to
top officials. In most cases, the principal does not select who work in
his security team. In fact, the first time the Senate President heard
about the incident was when the Commissioner of Police, Abuja, requested
the Aide-in-Camp to get his permission for the SSS agents to report to
his office in connection with an on-going investigation on a robbery
incident.
"To further put a lie to the claims by SaharaReporters, Dr. Saraki
hereby requests that the security agencies involved in the investigation
should make further public clarification on the case so as to enlighten
members of the public. The Senate President just like any interested
Nigerian followed the police investigation as it progresses, believing
that justice will be done at the end of the day.
"The report by SaharaReporters is another case of manipulation and
distortion of facts and situations to achieve some sinister purposes.
This online medium is, with every false reports it publishes against the
person and office of the Senate President discrediting itself and
making it clear that it is not worth believing by reasonable members of
the public," the statement added
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