Senate President Bukola Saraki on Tuesday confirmed that two of the operatives of the Department for State Services (DSS) arrested in connection with stealing of N310 million from a Bureau-de-Change agent in Abuja, were part of his security detail.

The DSS had at the weekend issued a statement disclosing that five of its operatives were involved in the robbery of a Bureau-de-change agent in Abuja.

While two were arrested in connection with the crime, the remaining three of its operatives are at large.

Following the disclosure, an online news platform SaharaReporters, which has been one of the targets of the anti-media Bill pending before the Senate, claimed the money belonged to Saraki and the BDC agent was well known to him.

Refuting the report by SaharaReporters, a statement by the Senate president’s spokesman, Yusuph Olaniyonu said: “We want to say categorically that Dr. Saraki is not the owner of the stolen money. He does not know the owner who is said to be a Bureau de change operator. The Police that investigated the robbery incident and the SSS, which issued a statement on it, can confirm that there is no link between the Senate president with the ownership of the money”.     

The statement continued: “Unfortunately, two of the suspects in the case are said to be part of the men attached to the security team of the Senate president. As anybody could confirm, the SSS selects its officers who are attached to top officials. In most cases, the principal does not select who work in his security team.

“In fact, the first time the Senate president heard about the incident was when the Commissioner of Police, Abuja, requested the Aide-in-Camp to get his permission for the SSS agents to report to his office in connection with an on-going investigation on a robbery incident.

“To further put a lie to the claims by SaharaReporters, Dr. Saraki hereby requests that the security agencies involved in the investigation should make further public clarification on the case so as to enlighten members of the public.

“The Senate president just like any interested Nigerian, followed the police investigation as it progresses, believing that justice will be done at the end of the day”, the statement said.