There were strong indications over the weekend that the police might arrest the Deputy Senate President, Senator lke Ekweremadu, and some former principal officers of the 7th Senate this week.

The senators might be arrested for snubbing a police invitation to answer questions on their roles in the alleged forgery of the rules of the Senate in 2015
We gathered on Saturday that the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department, Garki Abuja, which is investigating the alleged forgery, was waiting for the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, to approve the arrest of the principal officers.


A reliable source at the Force Headquarters confided in one of our correspondents that some senior police officers would meet over the issue at the beginning of the week. After the meeting, the investigation department would be asked to arrest the affected principal officers before the end of the week.

In July 2015, the police had invited some principal officers of the Senate over the alleged forgery of rules used for the election of Saraki, his deputy and the inauguration of the 8th Senate.

The police, in another letter dated June 7, 2016 and signed by Assistant Inspector General of Police, James Caulcrick, had requested the officials of the 7th Senate to report to the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department, Garki, Abuja, for the purpose of conducting further investigations on the fraudulent use of the Senate Standing Order 2015 (as amended) by the Senate.

In the letter, Caulcrick noted that none of the officials on the 7th Senate list had honoured an earlier invitation to respond to the allegations against them, except the Clerk of the National Assembly and that of the Senate.

Sunday PUNCH gathered that the planned arrest of the principal officers would be a prelude to the hearing of the forgery suit filed against some of them at a Federal High Court, Abuja.

The source told Sunday PUNCH that the police leadership had come to the realisation that they might have to apply “lawful force to compel obedience and cooperation” from the suspects.

He stated, “Since the suit has been filed, we will arrest the men if they fail to honour our invitation. We are only waiting for the go-ahead from the IGP. We are hoping to pick them up this week or before the hearing of the suit begins.”

Following a directive by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to the IGP the police had submitted the final report of their investigation to the Ministry of Justice for the prosecution of the affected officers.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Bisi Kolawole, could not be reached for comment as she did not respond to calls to her phone. She had yet to reply an SMS that was sent to her as of the time of filing this report

But Kolawole had, a few weeks ago, confirmed to one of our correspondents that the police had returned the case file to the AGF.

“I understand that the case file is in the AGF’s office that they are to charge the case to court from their end,” she had said in an SMS.



We have not received court papers — Saraki, Ekweremadu

When contacted, aides of the President of the Senate and his deputy said their bosses had yet to be served with the court process on the suit instituted against them by the Federal Government over the alleged forgery of the order used for their inauguration as presiding officers of the 8th Senate.

The Senate President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, and his counterpart in the Deputy Senate President’s office, Uche Anichukwu, who spoke in separate telephone interviews with our correspondent on Saturday, said their principals read the news in the media, like other Nigerians.

Olaniyonu, in his reaction, said, “We read the story just like any other Nigerian. We have not been served with any court documents so we don’t have the details. Whatever action that would be taken would be after studying the court papers on the suit.

“We cannot make comments on the issue at the moment but we are watching events as they unfold. We read newspaper reports about police inviting officers of the 7th Senate yesterday for questioning on the issue and today the story is different. Our reaction will come later.”

Anichukwu, the media aide to Ekweremadu, also said, “The deputy president of the senate read the story in the newspapers; we are waiting for details from those who filed the suit before we can react.”

However, a source in the office of Ekweremadu told our correspondent in confidence that some people who were under pressure from “some powerful people in the President Muhammadu Buhari government” were behind the suit.

The source said, “The police told reporters last year that Ekweremadu was not invited by the police over the forgery saga. However, a year after, the police wrote a letter claiming that Ekweremadu and others failed to honour their invitation for investigation since last year.”

In Charge No. CR/219/16 filed by the office of the Attorney General of Federation on 10th June, 2016, the Federal Government of Nigeria (complainant) slammed a two-count charge of “criminal conspiracy, contrary to Section 97 of the Penal Code Law” and “Forgery contrary to 362 of the Penal Code Law” against Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu.

Also charged to court were the immediate past Clerk to the National Assembly, Abubakar Maikasuwa, and the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, Benedict Efeturi. Former senate president, Senator David Mark, and former Majority Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba were not charged.

http://www.punchng.com/senate-forgery-police-may-arrest-ekweremadu-others-week/

"We won't take this!!!" Orubebe.

Very soon, it will dawn on Saraki and his crew of bandits!

The noose be drawing closer.

I doff my hat for the APC, especially that Law Professor. He really knows his onions.

They realize that timing is everything, bode their time, exploited the loopholes and are now weeding, beginning with the very one that would have constituted a nuisance had Sarathief been shifted first.

Credit is, they did it all legally!

Revenge they say, is a dish best served cold!

Law Professor, I sight you, my lord!

.......Finally, Saraki held tightly at his "balls".

Nice development, PDP Rigging, forging and duping Nigerians since 1999 bc

This crook should be arrested already

Nigerians can really like to fool themselves sha. This is very funny.

That is why the criminals are rushing to pass the bill proposing immunity for the principal officers. That is why they want to wean the president of his power to assent to bills before the become laws.

After religion, tribalism and corruption, our legislature is the forth biggest problem we have in this country.

In a saner clime, these people would all have resigned honourably. But not in Nigeria. They will keep clinging to power like it's their birth right.

We won't allow thieves, looters and forgers be the ones to make laws for us. All of them must go

If the police wanted to arrest Ekweremadu and Saraki, why not just go ahead and arrest them? Why publish it in the news first? Why give them time to plan their counter move? What kind of senseless, backward, stupid, idiotic, archaic people do we have running these systems anyway

This cat and mouse game has got to stop. If you have enough case to arrest someone, arrest them. Heaven will not fall on top of earth!

For entrepreneurs... pls see my signature...

To the imbe above me, did the police force give a press briefing that they want to arrest them?

It's just Nigeria journalist fishing for news so don't blame the NPF

Pls they should arrest d criminal fast fast, before he pass his bill of life pension! Nonsense

Go and arrest stop telling us you may arrest. Nonsense
Who doesn't know that 50% of our politicians are guilty of Fogery including the president. Police should start the arrest from the president.
Spare us all this craps we are not fool but is sad that we have proving to be fools to allow all this desperate, greedy and selfish guys to lead us

.

They should also arrest Buhari for forging SSCE certificate.

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rusher14:
Go and report yourself to the police.

No one has suggested your complicity or guilt. Since you aren't, clearing your name shouldn't be a problem.

Or is it possible you are guilty?

Any politician that runs away from clearing his or her name is guilty

"Buhali cannot do more than a dead lat!" - iPOD/iPAD

Buhari is the Chief forger. Who will arrest him for perjury?

I go rply if I cum bk frm chur............Mk dem wait 1st!

Buhari wants to fight every thing at once. Nigerians are suffering and he doesn't give a damn about that. David Mark wasn't charged to court because he's secretly working with APC. mussel opposition and Nigeria will die.
The police should also not forget to arrest Buhari who forged his WAEC certificate.

fp

Apc una neva taya?what's all this rubbish?

After So Long, Untill I See Headlines Of D Arrest I Wont Take Dis News Serious. Happy Father's Day Nairalanders.

omenka:
That is why the criminals are rushing to pass the bill proposing immunity for the principal officers. That is why they want to wean the president of his power to assent to bills before the become laws.

After religion, tribalism and corruption, our legislature is the forth biggest problem we have in this country.

forth or the first problem we have in Nigeria. but why aren you obsessed with anything APC?

OK, we watching let's see how it will all unfold. After all, the once they have been trying since the beginning of the 8th assembly is still in office making laws, so i don't expect any new to come out of this news

I won't comment because I know they'll deny it tomorrow morning.

And who have threaten or arrest bull-hari for faking his SSCE result Even as that he fail woefully




Political witch-hunting 2.2 has began.... Buhari keep deceiving your useless self

All this old men sef....so na one week one new drama .... no more baba provide yur certificate or saraki to be impeach or ffk detained or metuh detained or baba ear infection or fashola giving us reasons to be in darkness or malam from kaduna with his white elephant project or cbn to give us d new exchange rate.....lyk play lyk play their tenure will complete without abything to account for.... cuz na so pdp take start
I dey here with my smoke , music, sub and fone dey observe

Immunity covers him.... By the way why is that things that concern the East and South and taken with Iron hand measures....