Saraki Claims Kwara Government is Targeting Him with Offa Robbery Case

Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has accused the Kwara State Government of using the 2018 Offa bank robbery case to target him and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed. This comes after the government decided to drop 18 of the 20 charges against them.

Saraki, through his media office, stated that removing the charges related to armed robbery, killings of police officers, and illegal gun possession shows that the accusations did not have solid evidence.

In a statement signed by Yusuph Olaniyonu, the spokesperson for the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office, Saraki called the withdrawal of charges an admission that the initial claims were baseless.

The statement accused Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration of misusing the legal system and trying to ruin the reputation of his predecessors ahead of the 2027 elections.

The state government has withdrawn counts one to 18 of the original 20-count charge, which accused Saraki, Ahmed, and two others of crimes linked to the April 2018 robbery.

The two remaining counts reportedly accuse the former governors and the other defendants of being part of a gang of thieves and hiding or causing the loss of a vehicle that was allegedly used for unlawful activities.

“The amendment to the charge sheet only reveals that there was no case against these gentlemen from the beginning,” the statement said.

The media office also recognized that the new charges are still before the court and stated that Saraki’s lawyers would contest them.

This situation follows months of legal battles over the robbery, which resulted in at least 32 deaths, including police officers, in April 2018.

In April, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Kwara State Government had filed a 20-count charge against Saraki, Ahmed, Yusuf Abdulwahab, a former chief of staff to Ahmed, and another former aide, Alabi Olalekan.

The charges included criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, and illegal possession of firearms. The state government claimed that the defendants were linked to the attack, which they have constantly denied.

Saraki labeled the prosecution as politically driven, insisting that earlier investigations by federal agencies found no proof tying him to the robbery.

He also referenced legal opinions from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation in 2018, which he said concluded there was not enough evidence to link him to the crime.

This latest development follows comments from Saheed Popoola, a former APC leader who is now the PDP senatorial candidate for Kwara South. He admitted to helping politicize the Offa robbery claims against Saraki during the campaign before the 2019 elections.

Popoola stated that he was among those who brought up the issue to undermine the former Senate president for political gain.

Saraki’s media office mentioned that the decision to drop the 18 charges came while Saraki was visiting communities in Kwara South to campaign for PDP candidates for the upcoming 2027 elections.

It also accused the state government of spending nearly N100 million on newspaper ads promoting the original allegations, calling this spending a waste of public money.

The statement further claimed that people connected to the state government had encouraged some relatives of the robbery victims to file a civil case against the former governors.

It described the prosecution as an effort to blackmail and politically weaken Saraki and Ahmed.

“The criminal charges came after individuals linked to the government had also urged some family members of the victims of the Offa robbery incident to file a civil case against the two former governors,” the statement said.

The media office asserted that Saraki would fight the remaining charges and expressed confidence that they would not hold up in court.