Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has labelled as a “desperate ploy by a drowning politician” the decision by Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to file criminal culpability charges against him in connection with the 2018 Offa robbery.
Describing the case as “dirty politics taken too far and too low”, Saraki cautioned Abdulrazaq to refrain from what he called a disgraceful attempt to weaponise the Offa robbery incident whenever he faced political scrutiny over alleged poor governance and unmet expectations.
On April 5, 2018, several banks were attacked, alongside a police station in Offa, Kwara State, leaving 33 people dead, including a pregnant woman and 12 police officers.
In September 2024, a Kwara High Court convicted five individuals for illegal firearm possession, armed robbery, and culpable homicide.
The convicted persons are Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salahudeen Azeez, and Niyi Ogundiran.
On Thursday, April 9, 2026, the state government instituted a 20-count charge against Saraki and former governor Abdulfatah Ahmed over claims they supplied arms to individuals linked to the Offa robbery.
Also named in the suit are Yusuf Abdulwahab, a former chief of staff to Ahmed, and Alabi Olalekan, another associate.
But responding to the development, Saraki, in a statement he personally endorsed, according to media reports, maintained that he had no involvement “directly or indirectly with any case of armed robbery or any criminal matter.”
The former Senate President emphasised that he had earlier been cleared by both the police and the Director of Public Prosecution in the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, insisting that the new charges were politically driven.
“The case was investigated by the police team from the office of the Inspector General of Police. However, following the investigation, in two separate legal advices dated June 22nd, 2018, and August 23rd, 2018, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) stated that there was no evidence directly or indirectly linking me to the robbery incident.
“Based on the DPP’s advice, four suspects were charged in court by the Kwara State Government. They were convicted at the trial court, and the conviction was upheld by the appellate court. The matter is now before the Supreme Court.
“Suddenly, the governor woke up after I granted my interview to Channels TV where I commented on the insecurity in the state and thought he could resurrect these baseless charges against his two predecessors.
“I noticed that in his propaganda plan to circulate his frivolous charges and other skewed documents as paid advertisements in the national newspapers, even before serving the defendants, he intentionally hid the DPP reports and other documents which put a lie to the charade he is perpetuating.
“These are deliberate efforts to mislead the media and induce them to give purchased publicity to the frame-up.
“Therefore, I am under no illusion that this case was a frivolous move and an abuse of court process to embarrass my person. My legal team will definitely meet this governor in court. I believe that Abdulrahman just feels that he could still use this case to harass and defame my person by abusing the judicial process,” Saraki said.
He advised the governor to prioritise the safety of residents rather than pursue what he described as baseless and politically motivated litigation against him.
