Saraki not linked to Offa robbery: AGF

Fresh details have emerged showing that the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF) found no evidence linking former Senate President Bukola Saraki to the deadly 2018 Offa robbery, despite earlier allegations by police.

Two separate legal advisories issued in June and August 2018, during the tenure of former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami, concluded that investigators failed to establish a case against Saraki or former Kwara State governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.

The Offa robbery, which occurred on April 5, 2018, saw multiple banks attacked and a police station overrun in Offa, leaving at least 33 people dead, including police officers and a pregnant woman. The attack triggered nationwide outrage and led to the arrest of several suspects.

At the time, police alleged that the gang leader, Ayoade Akinnibosun, had links to Saraki, claiming the suspects were political thugs connected to him. However, the OAGF’s legal review stated that there was no credible evidence establishing a nexus between the alleged offences and the former senate president.

The advisory recommended further investigation to determine whether Saraki or Ahmed had any knowledge of, or involvement in, the planning or execution of the attack, including whether weapons used in the robbery were supplied by them. Still, it maintained that no prima facie case existed to support charges of conspiracy, armed robbery, or culpable homicide.

While the OAGF suggested that one suspect, Alabi Olalekan, could face charges for illegal possession of firearms, it also noted that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute another aide, Yusuf Abdulwahab.

The findings were reaffirmed in a second advisory in August 2018, which stated that there had been no change in the office’s position regarding Saraki’s alleged involvement.

Similar read: Saraki denies involvement in Offa robbery, alleges Abdulrazaq’s fresh charges are a political witch-hunt

Despite this, the case has remained politically charged. In 2024, a Kwara State High Court convicted five defendants connected to the robbery, sentencing them to death, a judgment later upheld on appeal.

More recently, the Kwara State government filed fresh charges against Saraki and Ahmed over alleged links to the convicted individuals, an accusation both men have denied. Saraki has also accused Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of attempting to politically target him.