Offa robbery: Minister releases evidence on Saraki’s donation

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, yesterday said he is presenting evidence to prove that Senate President Bukola Saraki lied that he donated N10 million to the victims of Offa bank robbery.

In a statement issued in Abuja, the minister said he will present to the public both the unedited version of a live radio interview as well as the doctored, re-broadcast version on the donated fund to show Saraki’s disdain for truth.

“In the unedited live version, Dr. Saraki, speaking in Yoruba, said categorically that he donated N10 million when he visited Offa to commiserate with the victims of the armed robbery, when (he said) in actual fact about N7 million was stolen from the vaults of the banks that were robbed during the attack.

“‘However, the version for re-broadcast did not contain any reference to the Offa robbery. Whereas they claimed to have re-broadcast the interview due to popular demand, the truth is that they decided to re-air it without the claim of N10 million donation due to the widespread derision that greeted that phantom claim. These people have a chronic disdain for the truth,” the minister said.

Mohammed said he would not want to exchange words with Saraki on who is truly on the ground in Kwara, it is important to let him know that six weeks from now, the people of Kwara will answer that question.

Alhaji Mohammed challenged the Senate President to answer three critical questions or learn to keep his peace:

– The first one is did he not say, during the live interview, that that the money in the vault was N7 million and that he dropped 10 million Naira when he went to Offa on a condolence visit?

– The second question is did he really drop any money on that occasion?

– And the third, did he or did he not doctor the original broadcast?