Kwara State Government has filed criminal charges against former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and Ex-Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, over their alleged links to the 2018 Offa armed robbery incident.
Gatekeepers News reports that the state government instituted a 20-count charge before a high court, accusing the duo and several others of involvement in the deadly robbery that occurred on April 5, 2018, in Offa, Kwara State.
The charge alleges that the defendants, alongside some already convicted individuals, carried out coordinated attacks on banks and public institutions in Offa while armed with guns and explosives. The prosecution said the incident targeted facilities including a branch of Zenith Bank, constituting offences under the Robbery and Firearms Act.
The Offa robbery remains one of Nigeria’s deadliest, with at least 33 people killed, including police officers and civilians.
Five principal suspects linked to the attack — Ayoade Akinnibosun and others — were earlier convicted in 2024 for armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms, and culpable homicide, with the court of appeal later upholding their sentences.
The case against Saraki and Ahmed is rooted in earlier police investigations, where the gang leader allegedly claimed the group had political connections. However, the same suspect also stated at some point that Saraki was not aware of the robbery operation.
Saraki has consistently denied any involvement in the crime, maintaining that attempts to link him to the robbery were politically motivated.
The fresh charges signal a renewed legal push by the Kwara State Government to revisit the high-profile case, years after the initial investigation and convictions of the principal perpetrators.
