By Olaleke ASHAFA
The House of Representatives, on Thursday, unanimously agreed to begin an investigation into circumstances surrounding the death of the principal suspect in the bank robbery in Offa, Kwara State.
The resolution was sequel to a motion under matters of urgent public importance by Rep Zakari Mohammed (PDP-Kwara) at a plenary presided over by Speaker Yakubu Dogara in Abuja.
Adikwu, a dismissed police constable who was said to have confessed to being the mastermind of the bloody robbery that left scores of people dead in the operation which involved five commercial banks on April 5, 2018, died on Wednesday.
Moving the motion, Mohammed, who represents Baruten/Kaiama Federal Constituency of Kwara State, described the announcement of Adikwu’s death by the police as shocking.
”The House is aware that the police initially confirmed to the Attorney General of Kwara State through the Police Public Relations Officer, Moshood Jimoh, that the principal suspect was alive, in custody and was helping the police in the investigations of the robbery that led to the killing of 22 people and recovery of firearms that were carted aware.
”The Houe is concerned that it took the police so long to make the disclosure about the death of the principal suspect after denying its veracity as was reported in the media.
”The house is worried that there have been inconsistencies in the various statements by the police and the possible cover-up of this extra-judicial killing with the aim of tarnishing the image of some innocent individuals for political purposes,” he said.
The lawmaker, who noted that it was the fundamental duty of the police to protect lives and property of all citizens irrespective of political affiliation, said it was also ”the constitutional duty of this hallowed chamber to take action wherever such level of irresponsibility and recklessness of an important law enforcement agency such as the police have arisen in the course of investigations into a vicious crime.”
When Dogara, put the motion on a voice vote, the lawmakers unanimously adopted it.
He mandated the House Committees on Police Affairs, Human Rights and Justice to
carry out an investigative hearing into the facts surrounding the time and circumstances of the death of the suspect.
The committees were charged to uncover the issues and questions as to when the suspect died, how he died, why the police denied the facts of his death, at what point the police leadership discovered the death of the suspect and why the police are covering up the facts.
They were also mandated to unravel issues of human rights abuse, extra-judicial killings and
manipulation of criminal investigation by the police and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.
