Saraki Accuses Kwara Government of False Claims as 18 Offa Robbery Charges Are Dropped

Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has accused the Kwara State Government of making false allegations against him and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed following the withdrawal of 18 charges in connection with the 2018 Offa bank robbery.

Saraki, through his media office, described the development as an admission that the original allegations were unfounded, while accusing Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s administration of abusing the judicial process.

In a statement signed by Yusuph Olaniyonu of the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office, the former Senate President said the government had dropped 18 counts from its original 20-count charge, including allegations of armed robbery, causing the deaths of police officers and illegal possession of firearms.

The Kwara State Government has, however, proposed an amended four-count charge against Saraki, Ahmed and two former aides, Yusuf Abdulwahab and Alabi Olalekan. The amended charges retain allegations of conspiracy to belong to a gang of thieves and membership of such a gang, while introducing two additional counts relating to the alleged concealment or disappearance of a vehicle said to have been used for an illegal purpose.

The case is connected to the April 5, 2018, robbery attack on several banks in Offa, Kwara State, during which gunmen also attacked a police station.

Following the incident, police invited Saraki for questioning after some arrested suspects allegedly implicated him. The former Senate President denied any involvement in the robbery and described the allegations as an attempt to implicate him.

The allegations resurfaced in April 2026 when the Kwara State Government filed a fresh 20-count charge against Saraki, Ahmed and the two former aides over their alleged involvement in the incident.

Reacting to the latest amendment, Saraki’s media office said the withdrawal of the armed robbery-related counts showed that the government had no credible evidence against the former governors from the beginning.

“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 the state government of turning the judicial process into a political tool, alleging that the case was intended to damage the reputations of Saraki and Ahmed ahead of the 2027 elections.

It also alleged that the Abdulrazaq administration spent close to N100 million publicising its allegations against the former governors through advertisements in national newspapers earlier in the year.

Saraki’s media office described the alleged expenditure as a waste of public funds, arguing that the money could have been directed towards development projects in the state.

The statement also linked the timing of the amended charges to Saraki’s political activities in Kwara South, where he was reportedly visiting communities to campaign for Peoples Democratic Party candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

Despite the withdrawal of the 18 counts, the media office said Saraki’s lawyers would challenge the remaining allegations in court.

It maintained that the amended charges would also fail under judicial scrutiny, insisting that the former Senate President remained confident of clearing his name.

The amended charge has been filed before the Kwara State High Court, but the case has yet to proceed to trial as preliminary legal issues remain unresolved. The prosecution’s application to amend the charges is part of the ongoing proceedings.

The latest development therefore removes the original armed robbery-related allegations from the proposed amended charge, but does not amount to a court ruling clearing Saraki, Ahmed or the other defendants of all allegations.