Offa robbery: Saraki alleges persecution as Kwara drops 18 charges

Former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has accused the Kwara State Government of abusing the judicial process and using the 2018 Offa bank robbery case to persecute him and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, after the state government moved to drop 18 of the 20 criminal charges initially filed against them.

Saraki, through his media office, described the development as an indication that the allegations linking him to the deadly robbery lacked credible evidence.

He accused Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration of deploying the criminal proceedings to damage his reputation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The reaction followed the filing of an amended charge sheet by the state government, seeking to reduce the original 20 charges against Saraki, Ahmed and two former aides, Yusuf Abdulwahab and Alabi Olalekan, to four counts.

In a statement issued on Monday by the Head of the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, the former Senate President said the government had abandoned all the allegations relating to armed robbery, the killing of police officers and illegal possession of firearms.

The statement read, “The amendment to the charge sheet only reveals that there was no case against these gentlemen from the beginning, and what the state government is indulging in is abuse of power, a travesty of the justice system, and mockery of the prosecutorial powers of the state.

“The government has retained allegations that the four defendants conspired to belong to a gang of thieves and actually belonged to such a gang, alongside two counts relating to the alleged concealment or disappearance of a vehicle used for an unlawful purpose.”

It described the amendment as “ridiculous, mischievous, ill-intentioned, and a further attempt to abuse the judicial process,” insisting that the remaining charges would also be challenged in court.

The development came amid renewed political controversy over the robbery after a former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State, Saheed Popoola, admitted that he played a leading role in the campaign linking Saraki to the incident during the political struggle that culminated in the defeat of the former governor’s political structure in 2019.

Popoola, who is now the Peoples Democratic Party senatorial candidate for Kwara South, made the disclosure on Sunday at the palace of the Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi, during Saraki’s political tour of the district.

He said the robbery allegations were deliberately revived and politicised by some APC members to undermine Saraki’s political influence in the state during the “O to ge” movement.

He said, “I was a leading member of the APC then that started the politicisation and revival of the issue of Offa robbery just to get to Saraki. But after we finished and won, it was I who was being persecuted.

“This includes the use of songs and slogans to associate Saraki with the incident just because of politics. However, God has intervened, and the reality is that Saraki is back in Kwara.”

Popoola, who expressed regret over his participation in the political struggle against Saraki, challenged those who continued to politicise the tragedy to demonstrate genuine concern for the victims and their families.

He alleged that many of the individuals who repeatedly raised the robbery allegations had neither visited the affected families nor offered them meaningful assistance since the incident.

Dismissing suggestions that Saraki could have been motivated by financial considerations to sponsor the robbery, Popoola said the former governor had resources far beyond the amount that could have been stolen from the banks.

“All the money in the entire banks in Offa, Ilorin, Patigi and the entire Kwara State put together is not enough for Saraki to spend in three days,” he declared.

However, the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress defended the evidence presented during the trial of the convicted robbers, insisting that it linked Saraki to members of the gang.

The state APC Publicity Secretary, Abdulwaheed Babatunde, stated this on Monday while addressing a press conference in Ilorin, following Popoola’s admission.

Babatunde maintained that Popoola’s confession could not erase evidence presented during the trial of the five convicted robbers, alleging that gang leader Ayoade Akinnibosun and other members implicated Saraki in their statements and testimonies.

He said, “Whether Saraki likes it or not, he is an accessory before and after the fact. The vehicles and arms were given at his instance, without which they couldn’t have attempted a robbery.”

The APC spokesman also alleged that a vehicle used in the operation was initially concealed at the Government House in Ilorin before being moved to the Ministry of Environment, adding that the suspects had links with Saraki and his family.

Also speaking, the party’s deputy chairman, Abdullahi Samari, described Popoola’s comments as insensitive to the families of the 33 victims, warning politicians against using the tragedy to advance their electoral interests.

“I think it is rather inhuman and disturbing that an experienced politician who is looking for votes can play with people’s lives as it is now. The 33 people who lost their lives still have family members living,” he stated.

The state PDP Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Adewara, in a statement on Tuesday, however, described the APC’s renewed attacks on Saraki and Popoola as another attempt to use the robbery incident for political advantage.

Adewara said Popoola’s confession and apology to Saraki had exposed what he described as years of political propaganda aimed at tarnishing the former Senate President’s image and turning Offa residents against him.

The opposition party also accused the AbdulRazaq administration of using the controversy to divert attention from its performance in office, insisting that residents were more concerned about insecurity, poor infrastructure, healthcare, education and employment.

The PDP further questioned the state government’s decision to drop 18 of the original 20 charges against Saraki and Ahmed, arguing that the development raised questions about the basis of the initial allegations.

Reacting further to the amendment, Saraki’s media office accused the state government of spending close to N100m on newspaper advertisements publicising its allegations against the former governors earlier in the year.

It described the expenditure as a waste of public funds, arguing that the money could have been deployed to execute public projects in the state.

The statement also alleged that the criminal proceedings were initiated in an election year as part of efforts to discredit Saraki and Ahmed ahead of the 2027 elections.

“The decision to suddenly file charges against the two former governors in an election year is not just an afterthought, but simply a dark campaign,” it stated.

The media office further alleged that some individuals linked to the state government had encouraged family members of victims of the Offa robbery to institute a separate civil action against the former governors.

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It, however, maintained that Saraki’s legal team would challenge the amended charges, expressing confidence that the prosecution would fail to establish its allegations.

The media office also said the amendment came as Saraki was visiting Offa and other communities across Kwara South to campaign for PDP candidates ahead of the 2027 elections, adding that the reception he received showed that residents had not accepted the allegations against him.

The latest controversy is connected to the April 5, 2018, robbery in Offa, when armed men launched coordinated attacks on several commercial banks and the police divisional headquarters, killing more than 30 people, including police officers and civilians.

The attackers targeted branches of Guaranty Trust Bank, First Bank, Ecobank, Zenith Bank and Union Bank, as well as Ibolo Microfinance Bank, during the operation.

They reportedly stormed the banks with sophisticated weapons and explosives, engaging police personnel in gun battles and overpowering security operatives at the divisional headquarters.

The attack resulted in the deaths of over 30 people, including 12 police officers and a pregnant woman, according to widely reported accounts of the incident.

The robbers also reportedly carted away millions of naira and 21 AK-47 rifles from the police armoury.

The scale of the attack generated nationwide outrage and prompted the then Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to deploy the Police Intelligence Response Team, led by then Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, to investigate the incident.

The police subsequently arrested several suspects, including Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibukunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salahudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran, who were later prosecuted for their involvement in the robbery.

During the investigation, some of the suspects allegedly implicated Saraki and Ahmed, claiming that the gang had political connections with the former governors and received support through their associates.

Akinnibosun, described by the police as the gang leader, reportedly alleged that members of the group were political thugs working for Saraki and that he received money and vehicles through Abdulwahab, who served as Ahmed’s Chief of Staff.

However, Saraki denied any involvement in the robbery and rejected the allegations as an attempt to implicate him.

The former Senate President was subsequently invited by the police for questioning in June 2018 following the allegations.

The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation also reviewed the police investigation reports and issued legal opinions in June and August 2018, concluding that the available evidence did not establish a sufficient connection between Saraki and Ahmed and the robbery to sustain criminal charges against them.

In its legal advice, the federal prosecution office recommended further investigation, maintaining that the materials submitted by the police did not establish a prima facie case against the former governors.

The five principal suspects were eventually convicted by a Kwara State High Court in September 2024 for offences including armed robbery, culpable homicide and illegal possession of firearms.

Justice Haleema Salman sentenced them to death by hanging, while the Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin upheld their convictions and sentences in January 2026.

Despite the convictions, allegations concerning the possible political sponsorship of the robbery continued to generate controversy in the state.

In April 2026, the Kwara State Government instituted a fresh 20-count criminal charge against Saraki, Ahmed, Abdulwahab and Olalekan over their alleged involvement in the incident.

The original charge accused the defendants of conspiring to commit armed robbery at several banks in Offa and participating in the attacks while armed with guns and explosives.

One of the counts specifically alleged that Saraki, Ahmed and the other defendants conspired to rob the Offa branches of Guaranty Trust Bank, First Bank, Ecobank and Union Bank on April 5, 2018.

Another count accused them of robbing the Zenith Bank branch while armed with guns and explosives, while other counts bordered on the alleged deaths of police officers and illegal possession of firearms.

The prosecution also alleged that the defendants were connected to the gang responsible for the robbery and the disappearance of a vehicle allegedly used during the operation.

However, the case has yet to proceed to trial, as the defendants have challenged aspects of the proceedings through preliminary applications and appeals.

In the latest amended charge sheet, marked KWS/114C/2026 and signed by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Senior Ibrahim Sulyman (SAN), the prosecution retained two allegations bordering on conspiracy to belong to a gang of thieves and membership of such a gang.

The two additional counts concern the alleged conspiracy to conceal or cause the disappearance of a Lexus RX SUV bearing the inscription ‘SARAKI’ as its number plate and the alleged concealment or disappearance of the vehicle.

The prosecution alleged that the vehicle was used for an unlawful purpose during the Offa robbery and that the defendants knew or had reason to believe that it was connected to the crime.

In a motion on notice dated November 6, the prosecution sought the court’s permission to amend the original charge, arguing that the defendants had yet to enter their pleas and that the trial had not commenced.

It also maintained that the evidence already attached to the original charge could sustain the proposed amended counts.

At the last sitting of the Kwara State High Court on November 5, Justice Osuolale Ajayi reserved his ruling on whether the arraignment could proceed while an application for a stay of proceedings remained pending before the Court of Appeal.

Earlier, on November 3, the appellate court had advised counsel to Ahmed, J.A. Mumini (SAN), to formally apply for an order directing parties at the trial court to maintain the status quo ante bellum rather than relying on an oral application.

The Court of Appeal subsequently adjourned the matter to November 12.