The Kwara State government has filed 20-count charges against former Senate President Bukola Saraki, ex-Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, former chief of staff Yusuf Abdulwahab and aide Alabi Olalekan Ahmed over alleged involvement in the 2018 Offa armed robbery. The charges, dated April 9, 2026, accuse them of supporting and arming robbery suspects, following the Court of Appeal's upholding of convictions for principal suspects. One of them, Ayo Akinnibosun, confessed during trial to being a hitman for the Saraki political dynasty. The government said weapons and other crime exhibits were recovered from the Government House in 2018 and presented as evidence in the suspects' trial.
Commissioner of Communications Bolanle Olukoju stated that the defendants have a constitutional right to defend themselves in court. She said the charges were based on available evidence and not political victimisation. "No responsible government ought to turn a blind eye to the evidence available to it," she said. "Everyone must be treated equally by the law." Olukoju stressed that prosecutors do not determine guilt, and the state is not conducting a witch-hunt. Saraki has denied any role in the robbery, calling the charges a frivolous attempt by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to tarnish his image.
The same government that once occupied the same Government House where weapons were allegedly recovered now accuses Saraki and ex-officials of arming robbers, yet offers no explanation for how the arsenal entered the premises under prior administration watch. The confession of a self-declared Saraki hitman forms the core of the case, but no forensic or documentary proof linking the former Senate President to the weapons has been disclosed. If high-ranking officials can be charged solely on convict testimony, then the legal threshold for accusation has dangerously shifted. This raises concerns for all former officeholders whose tenures involved contested security operations.
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