Offa Robbery: Kwara Government Drops Armed Robbery Charges Against Saraki, Ahmed, Retains Four Counts in Amended Case

The Kwara State Government has withdrawn allegations directly linking former Senate President Bukola Saraki and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed to the 2018 Offa bank robbery, following a major amendment to the 20-count criminal charge earlier instituted against the former political leaders and two other defendants.

The state government has filed an application before the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin, seeking permission to replace the original 20-count charge with an amended four-count charge, effectively removing 18 of the initial counts, including those relating to armed robbery and other serious offences arising from the deadly incident.

According to court documents cited in reports by News Express and other Nigerian media organisations, the amended charge, marked KWS/114C/2026, was signed by the Kwara State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ibrahim Sulyman (SAN). The prosecution’s motion on notice, dated November 6, 2026, was supported by a six-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Sulyman Mohammed-Jamiu, a litigation clerk in the Attorney-General’s office.

Under the revised charge, the first two counts accuse Saraki, Ahmed, their former aides Yusuf Abdulwahab and Alabi Olalekan of conspiring to belong to a gang of thieves and allegedly belonging to such a gang. The remaining two counts concern allegations bordering on the concealment and disappearance of a vehicle allegedly used for an unlawful purpose.

The amendment represents a significant departure from the original prosecution filed on April 9, 2026, which contained 20 counts, including allegations of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, culpable homicide and other offences connected with the April 5, 2018 attack on commercial banks and security facilities in Offa.

The original charge had named Saraki, Ahmed, Abdulwahab and Olalekan alongside five individuals already convicted over the robbery. The prosecution had alleged that the defendants were connected to the criminal activities of the gang responsible for the attacks, which claimed 33 lives, including 12 police officers and a pregnant woman.

The Offa robbery case attracted nationwide attention following allegations by some arrested suspects that they had political connections with Saraki and received assistance through individuals associated with the former administration in Kwara State. Saraki consistently denied involvement in the incident, while one of the convicted suspects, Ayoade Akinnibosun, reportedly told a court in March 2019 that Saraki was unaware of the gang’s involvement in the robbery. He also alleged that investigators pressured him to implicate the former Senate President.

The five principal suspects — Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salahudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran — were convicted by a Kwara State High Court in September 2024 over offences arising from the robbery. Their convictions and sentences were subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal in January 2026. The prosecution of Saraki, Ahmed and their two former associates is a separate proceeding.

The latest development also comes against the backdrop of legal proceedings over whether the trial involving the former governors should continue while related appeals remain pending. On November 5, the Kwara State High Court reportedly reserved its ruling on an issue concerning the continuation of the proceedings following arguments over a pending application for a stay of proceedings at the appellate court.

Reacting to the amendment, Saraki, through his media office, described the withdrawal of 18 counts as evidence that the original allegations lacked credible foundations. In a statement signed by his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, on November 9, the former Senate President accused the state government of abusing its prosecutorial powers and maintained that the remaining allegations would also fail judicial scrutiny. His legal team indicated that it would challenge the amended charges.

The amended charge now places the focus of the prosecution on the alleged gang membership, conspiracy and concealment of a vehicle, rather than the original allegations directly connecting the defendants to the armed robbery and killings in Offa. However, the withdrawal of the 18 counts does not in itself amount to a judicial determination of the remaining allegations, which will be subject to the court’s consideration.