Offa in Kwara State where the armed robbery incident that led to the killing of several persons for which the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed are being linked has erupted in protest.
Men, women and the youths took to the streets on Monday to protest what they described as an attempt to humiliate Saraki over what he does not know about.
The protesters displayed several placards all of which were against the police attempting to rope Saraki and Ahmed in in the robbery case.
Police said on Sunday the suspects in their custody named Saraki and Ahmed as accomplices.
They therefore invited Saraki in particular since immunity does not cover him yet to come and clear his name.
Saraki had indicated interest in honouring police invitation even as he has told his supporters tom ignore the allegation as it was a ploy by the police to implicated him desperately for political reasons.
In Offa, scene of the tragedy which led to the loss of lives, the traditional ruler of the community, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II said the community had left what has happened to God, but warned that the innocent must not be punished over the incident.
Some youths in the ancient town, under the aegis of Youth Agitators Nationalists Forum led by Comrade Peter Kayode vowed to trek from Offa to Abuja if the police continue to harass Saraki whom they described as a great benefactor.
“We want police to go after the real culprits”, Gbadamosi, who was represented by two High Chiefs, Bayo Akinola, the Ojomu of Offa and Adebayo Shittu, the Asalofa of Offa, to receive the protesting community members said.
“As a community we do not believe that Saraki had anything to do with the incident; we believe it is not so, we do not agree, we are taken aback and we ask that whatever is connected with the Offa robbery should be dealt with on its own right and not joined with other issues”, Akinola said.
Earlier before the addresses, some youth groups had gone round the palace carrying placards that condemn the invitation of the Senate President. Some of the placards read: “We are one with Saraki in Offa”, “Do not politicise Offa robbery”, “OGA IG, this is too much, don’t boil Offa over robbery”.
In Ilorin, the state capital, a coalition of Kwara youths under the aegis of Kwara Agenda, asked the federal government and the Nigerian Police to stop politicising the Offa robbery incident.
Also, elders of Ajikobi Central Ward in the Ilorin West local government area of the state, where Saraki hails from expressed shock over the invitation of their son by the police in respect of the unfortunate Offa armed robbery attack.