Kwara State Government has filed a 20-count criminal charge against former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and former governor of the state, Abdulfatah Ahmed, over alleged links to the 2018 Offa robbery incident.
Also named in the suit are Yusuf Abdulwahab and Alabi Olalekan.
The charges, filed before the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin on April 9, border on conspiracy, armed robbery and related offences under the Robbery and Firearms Act.
According to the charge sheet, the defendants are accused of conspiring with individuals already convicted for the Offa bank robberies to carry out attacks on multiple financial institutions.
The affected banks include branches of Guaranty Trust Bank, First Bank of Nigeria, Ecobank, Union Bank of Nigeria, and Zenith Bank.
The case relates to the April 5, 2018 attacks in Offa, during which several banks and a police station were targeted, resulting in the deaths of 33 persons, including police officers and civilians.
In September 2024, a Kwara High Court convicted five individuals, including alleged gang leader Ayoade Akinnibosun, for armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms and culpable homicide. The convictions were subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal in January.
Following the incident, police investigations reportedly linked the gang to certain political figures, with claims that the group had connections to Saraki through intermediaries.
However, Akinnibosun was also reported to have stated publicly that Saraki was not aware of the robbery operations, later alleging in court that he was pressured by police officials to implicate the former Senate President.
Saraki has consistently denied any involvement in the Offa robbery incident or association with the suspects.
The case is expected to further examine the alleged links between the defendants and the convicted individuals as proceedings continue before the Kwara State High Court.
