Dare Babalola
The Kwara State Government has filed a 20-count criminal charge against former Senate President Bukola Saraki and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed over their alleged involvement in the 2018 Offa armed robbery incident.
Also listed in the charge are Ahmed’s former Chief of Staff, Yusuf Abdulwahab, and another aide, Alabi Olalekan.
The state government accused the defendants of culpable homicide, criminal conspiracy, and related offences stemming from the April 5, 2018 robbery, which left dozens dead. If found guilty, the defendants risk the maximum penalty of death.
The case, marked KWS/114C/26, was instituted following a Court of Appeal judgment affirming the conviction of several principal suspects, including Ayoade Akinnibosun, who had earlier confessed during trial proceedings.
According to court documents dated April 9, 2026, and filed by the Kwara State Attorney-General, Ibrahim Sulyman, the charges are expected to be served on the defendants on Friday, April 17, 2026.
The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned before Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin on June 4.
The prosecution alleges that the accused persons were linked to the arming and support of the robbery gang responsible for the coordinated attacks on multiple banks in Offa.
Investigators had reportedly recovered vehicles and other exhibits connected to the crime from the Kwara State Government House and a government ministry in 2018. These items were tendered during earlier trials that led to the conviction of several suspects.
In his statement to investigators, Akinnibosun alleged that weapons used in the operation were supplied through political channels.
“The two AK-47 rifles in my possession were given to me by the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kwara State… two days to the congress election,” he said.
He further claimed links to political figures, stating:
“I head a group of political thugs working for Senator Bukola Saraki and the Governor of Kwara State Fatai Ahmed. He usually gives me money to share to my boys… the last money he gave me was N500,000.”
Akinnibosun also alleged that he and members of his group accompanied Saraki on a condolence visit to Offa following the robbery.
Despite these claims, Saraki has consistently denied any relationship with the convicted gang leader, although photographs had surfaced showing both men at a social function.
In a separate statement, Abdulwahab reportedly admitted to giving Akinnibosun a Lexus SUV, explaining that the gesture was part of broader political engagements approved by the government at the time.
Among the counts, the defendants are accused of conspiracy to commit armed robbery across several banks in Offa, including branches of Guaranty Trust Bank, First Bank, Ecobank, Union Bank, and Zenith Bank.
They are also facing multiple counts of culpable homicide linked to the killing of police officers during the robbery.
One of the charges states that the defendants, “caused the death of ASP Pelemo Julius by shooting him with a gun with the intention of causing his death”.
Similar charges relate to the deaths of Inspectors Oke Kayode and Danjuma Yusuf, among others.
The Offa robbery remains one of Nigeria’s deadliest bank heists, with about 32 people reportedly killed during the coordinated attacks.
The latest development signals a significant escalation in legal proceedings, extending accountability beyond convicted perpetrators to include alleged sponsors and accomplices.
