"All the Police personnel attached to the person of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, his office and family are intact and all the statutory security protection on the person of the Senate President are also accorded him all the time."
The Nigeria Police Force has denied the claim by Senate President Bukola Saraki, that its officers connived with thugs to attack him and members of his family in Kwara State.
A statement by Jimoh Moshood, spokesman of the Force, on Friday night was in response to an earlier claim by Saraki that thugs assaulted him and his family members.
Addressing newsmen, Saraki had said: “After the APC concluded their campaign in Ilorin, some of their supporters and thugs moved around town and in areas like Adewole/Adeta, Ile Otan and Ubandawaki/Pakata where they saw our people gathered holding their weekly ward meetings. They disrupted the meetings by shouting their party slogan and when our people responded by mentioning our own slogan, they fired gun shots into their midst in Adewole/Adeta.
“The APC supporters also inflicted machete cuts on some of our supporters. As a result of this attack, two people suffered bullet wounds.”
Continuing his narration, Saraki said the thugs proceeded to his family quarters in Ilorin and vandalized houses, shops while also attacking people with machetes.
However, in response to the Senate President's claim, the Police statement read: "All the Police personnel attached to the person of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, his office and family are intact and all the statutory security protection on the person of the Senate President are also accorded him all the time and there was no complaint from the Senate President before now to the Police on this.
"The Nigeria Police Force wishes to categorically state that all the allegations in the statement of the Senate President are incorrect, misleading and false and should be disregarded and discountenanced by the general public.
"The Nigeria Police Force did not give any protection to any political thug or shield any APC thug to go to the family quarters of the Senate President in Agbaji, Ilorin and vandalize houses, shops and inflict wounds with machete on three (3) people as claimed by the Senate President. The Police did not receive any complaint or report of gunshot and wounding as claimed by the Senate President in other areas he mentioned such as Adewole/Adeta, Ile-otan and ubandawaki/pakata.
"For avoidance of doubt, there was no complaint reported at any Police division within Ilorin metropolis or any other Police Division on the 10th January, 2019 to today 11th January 2019 of any attack, wounding, shooting and destruction of any property by any individual(s) or any political party on their members. However, security within Ilorin metropolis and other locations in Kwara State has beefed-up to ensure security of all Nigerians living in the State.
"It is incumbent on the Force to set the record straight and correct the wrong impressions that must have been created in the minds of the general public and the international community from the misinformation and misleading account from the Senate President.
"The Inspector General of Police did not try any trick to implicate the Senate President in some criminal charges; the facts are in the public domain about the suspects of the Offa Bank Robbery now being prosecuted who implicated the Senate President in the matter.
"The Nigeria Police Force is hereby assuring all Nigerians that the Nigeria Police Force has no any undisguised hostility to the Senate President or his supporters in Kwara State or to jeopardize or undermine his personal security and that of his immediate and larger family. The Force will continue to be apolitical and will ensure adequate security throughout the country for all political parties, their members and supporters before, during and after the 2019 general election."