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Nigeria: Offa Bank Robbery - Saraki Denies Fresh Charges, Alleges Political Plot
Saraki denies any link to the 2018 Offa robbery as prosecutors cite confessional statements and recovered exhibits in the 20-count case.
- Former Senate President Bukola Saraki and former Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed face arraignment on June 4, 2026, before Justice Haleemah Salman at the Kwara State High Court, alongside aides Yusuf Abdulwahab and Alabi Olalekan.
- The April 2018 robbery in Offa, Nigeria, killed at least 32 people, including police officers; the Kwara State Government claims confessional statements from convicted hitman Ayo Akinnibosun link political figures to the crime.
- Saraki strongly denied the allegations, citing two 2018 legal opinions from the Director of Public Prosecution finding no evidence linking him to the crime. "This office is unable to establish from the evidence... a nexus between the alleged offence and the suspects," the DPP stated.
- Claiming the charges are a "political witch-hunt," Saraki accused the governor of resurrecting "baseless" claims to distract from rising banditry. "One would have thought that a governor whose state has lost over 400 lives to banditry... would concentrate efforts on tackling the menace," he said.
- Maintaining his innocence, the former Senate President expressed full confidence that the case will "collapse like a pack of cards." Meanwhile, the Attorney-General maintains the prosecution relies on due process, while related matters remain before the Supreme Court.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Offa robbery: Shehu Sani cautions Gov Abdulrasaq over criminal charges against Saraki, others
A former federal lawmaker, Shehu Sani, has cautioned Kwara State government against the move to file criminal charges against former Senate president, Bukola Saraki over the deadly 2018 Offa robbery. Sani reminded Governor Abdulrahaman Abdulrasaq that such a move could be counter-productive. On April 5, 2018, several banks were subjected to raids, and a police station in Offa, located in Kwara state, was attacked, leading to 33 deaths, which inc…
Nigeria: Offa Bank Robbery - Saraki Denies Fresh Charges, Alleges Political Plot
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has denied any involvement in the 2018 Offa bank robbery, describing fresh criminal charges filed against him by the Kwara State Government as politically motivated and an abuse of judicial process.
Shehu Sani urges Kwara Governor AbdulRazaq to drop criminal charges against Saraki over 2018 Offa robbery
Former lawmaker, Shehu Sani, has appealed to the Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, to reconsider plans to file criminal charges against former Senate President Bukola Saraki and others over the 2018 Offa Robbery incident. Sani made the appeal in a post shared on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, The post Shehu Sani urges Kwara Governor AbdulRazaq to drop criminal charges against Saraki over 2018 Offa robbery appeared firs…
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