Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has accused the Kwara State Government of abusing prosecutorial powers after it withdrew 18 charges from the criminal case linking him and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed to the 2018 Offa bank robbery.
Saraki, through his media office, described the development as an admission that the allegations against the former governors were unfounded, insisting that the remaining charges would also fail in court.
The Kwara State Government initially filed a 20-count charge against Saraki, Ahmed and two former aides, Yusuf Abdulwahab and Alabi Olalekan, over their alleged involvement in the robbery.
However, the amended charge sheet reduced the case to four counts, dropping 18 of the original charges, including allegations relating to armed robbery, culpable homicide and illegal possession of firearms.
The remaining allegations include conspiracy to belong to a gang of thieves, belonging to such a gang, and offences relating to the concealment or disappearance of a vehicle allegedly used for illegal purposes.
In a statement signed by Yusuph Olaniyonu of the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office in Abuja, the former Senate President said the withdrawal of the major allegations exposed the weakness of the prosecution’s case.
“Both charges and 16 others with such ridiculous claims were dropped obviously because the government saw through the futility of the attempts to rope in Saraki and Ahmed and the fact that the charges lack any credible or factual basis,” the statement said.
The media office further accused Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s administration of using the case to damage the reputations of his predecessors ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It also alleged that the state government had spent close to ₦100 million advertising its allegations against the former governors in national newspapers earlier in the year.
According to Saraki’s media office, the expenditure amounted to a waste of public funds that could have been channelled into development projects across the state.
The statement also linked the prosecution to the political activities ahead of the 2027 elections, noting that the amended charges came as Saraki was visiting Offa and other communities in Kwara South to campaign for Peoples Democratic Party candidates.
Saraki’s media office maintained that the remaining charges would not withstand judicial scrutiny, assuring his supporters that the former Senate President remained confident of his legal position.
“We want to further reiterate our assurances to members of the public, particularly supporters of Dr Saraki, that he remains unperturbed by the machinations of the Kwara State Government and that just as the earlier charge sheet collapsed like a badly arranged pack of cards, the amended charge will also fail in court because they are claims that cannot withstand the slightest judicial scrutiny,” the statement added.
Background to the Offa Bank Robbery Case
The April 5, 2018, Offa bank robbery remains one of Nigeria’s most notorious criminal incidents, with 33 people reportedly killed during attacks on several banks and a police station in Offa, Kwara State.
The police subsequently invited Saraki for questioning after some arrested suspects allegedly implicated him. He denied any involvement, describing the allegations as an attempt to implicate him.
In April 2026, the Kwara State Government filed a fresh 20-count charge against Saraki, Ahmed and two former aides over their alleged involvement in the incident.
The former governors rejected the allegations, with Saraki maintaining that legal opinions issued by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation in June and August 2018 found no evidence linking him to the robbery.
The amended charge has now removed the armed robbery-related allegations against the four defendants, although the remaining criminal allegations are still before the court.
Saraki’s lawyers have indicated their intention to challenge the amended charges, while the legal proceedings continue.
