Saraki’s wife hits out at police over blockade

The Wife of Nigerian Senate President, Toyin Saraki has reacted to the police denial of besieging Saraki’s residence in Abuja on Tuesday morning and for ‘falsely’ accusing her husband of having a connection with the leaders of an armed robbery gang.

The Police Spokesman Jimoh Moshood said on Wednesday that the policemen that allegedly blocked the entrance to Saraki’s residence were his personal security details.

“The inspector General and the Police  Force did not direct any blockage of the Senate President. What you saw in the video are the convoy of Police personnel attached to the Senate President… There is no official authorised deployment to block the Senate President, whosoever has used that discretion is attached to the Senate president” he said.

Moshood further stated that there are 40 policemen attached to the Senate President alone.

“We have over 170 personnel attached to the national assembly and 40 to the Senate President himself. we have the obligation to protect him and his family, his wife has Policemen including ADC’s and others. Even his guest house and other houses are protected.”

Mrs Saraki, however, took an exception to Moshood mentioning her name in connection with the incident. She insisted that no one on her security detail was involved and that the vehicles that blocked the residence were never assigned to her.

“Dear @channelstv @sunrisedailynow I am absolutely flabbergasted by @PoliceNG Jimoh Moshood on TV attempting to claim that these white vehicles that blockaded the road outside our Abuja residence could possibly be “protection provided to the Wife of the Senate President,” Saraki said on Wednesday.

“I have never received any vehicle from @PoliceNG Secondly, I believe these vehicles bear a striking resemblance to cars donated by my dear brother @AlikoDangote. I hope DSP Jimoh Moshood can leave me out of this unseemly contretemps. Thank you!” she added.

Saraki further condemned the actions of the Men of the Nigerian police, while expressing her disbelief at the massive invasion.

“It was bad enough that I was forced to endure a mass invasion of my privacy, with the misidentification of a guest at a private family occasion, falsely, as one of the @PoliceNG Offa Bank Robbery suspects. The Police did nothing to correct this widely circulated falsehood” She said.

The Senate president was sent a late invitation on Monday to report at the Guzape Station in Abuja by 8 am on Tuesday. The invitation was in connection with the Offa robbery attack in which 33 persons were killed.

The police said leaders of the robbery gang confessed they had a relationship with Saraki. But the Senate President insisted he knew nothing about the incident.

The police had initially blocked Saraki’s convoy thinking he was going to dodge the invitation. He was, however, allowed to exit his residence later.