OFFA ROBBERY: DRAMA AS KWARA SLAMS 20-COUNT CRIMINAL CHARGES ON SARAKI, AHMED

The Kwara State Government has ignited fresh political and legal fireworks with the filing of a 20-count criminal charge against former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and ex-Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, over their alleged links to the deadly 2018 Offa robbery.

Also docked in the suit are Yusuf Abdulwahab, a former Chief of Staff to Ahmed, and Alabi Olalekan, an aide, alongside five already convicted robbers said to have participated in the attack.

The charges, filed before the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin on April 9, 2026, accuse the defendants of conspiracy and armed robbery, contrary to provisions of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act.

According to the charge sheet, the accused persons allegedly conspired and participated in the April 5, 2018 raid on multiple banks in Offa, including branches of Guaranty Trust Bank, First Bank, Ecobank, Union Bank, and Zenith Bank.

The state further alleged that the defendants, armed with guns and explosives, carried out coordinated attacks on the financial institutions, leading to loss of lives and property.

Bloody Background

The Offa robbery remains one of Nigeria’s most gruesome heists in recent history. No fewer than 33 persons, including a pregnant woman and 12 police officers, were killed when armed men stormed banks and a police station in the town.

In September 2024, a Kwara High Court convicted five suspects — Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salahudeen Azeez, and Niyi Ogundiran — for armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms, and culpable homicide.

Their convictions and sentences were subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal in January.

Controversy, Allegations

The case has long been mired in controversy.

Following the incident, the police invited Saraki for questioning after claims by gang leader, Ayoade Akinnibosun, that the group operated as political thugs linked to the former governor.

Akinnibosun had alleged that the gang received vehicles and financial support through Abdulwahab. However, he later stated that Saraki was unaware of their criminal operations.

In a dramatic twist during court proceedings in 2019, the gang leader accused a senior police officer of coercing him and others to implicate Saraki in the crime.

Saraki has consistently denied any connection to the robbery suspects or the incident.

Political Undercurrents

Saraki, who governed Kwara State between 2003 and 2011, later served as Senate President from 2015 to 2019, while Ahmed succeeded him as governor from 2011 to 2019.

The latest development is expected to reopen intense political debates in the state, with observers closely watching how the high-profile trial unfolds in the coming weeks.