Two separate legal opinions issued in 2018 by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation found no evidence linking former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to the deadly Offa robbery in Kwara State.
The legal advice, dated June 22 and August 23, 2018, was signed by Mohammed U.E., then Director of Public Prosecutions, on behalf of the Attorney-General at the time, Abubakar Malami.
The April 5, 2018 attack involved armed robbers targeting multiple banks and a police station in Offa, leaving 33 people dead, including a pregnant woman and 12 police officers.
Following the incident, police arrested several suspects, including alleged gang leader Ayoade Akinnibosun, while another suspect, Michael Adikwu, died in custody.
Investigators later invited Saraki for questioning after claims that Akinnibosun alleged the gang operated as political thugs for him. Police also alleged that the suspect claimed to have received vehicles and financial support from Saraki through an aide to former Kwara State governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed.
However, Akinnibosun reportedly told journalists that although the group had previously worked for Saraki, the former Senate President had no knowledge of the robbery.
In its initial legal advice to the Inspector-General of Police, the Attorney-General’s office said it could not establish any connection between Saraki and the crime, noting it was “unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged offence and suspects.” It, however, recommended further investigations to determine whether Saraki or Ahmed had any knowledge of the attack or involvement in supplying weapons.
A follow-up opinion issued on August 23, 2018, reaffirmed the earlier position, stating there was still no prima facie case against Saraki for offences including criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide. It also found no collaborative evidence linking another suspect, Yusuf Abdulwahab, to the crime.
Despite these findings, prosecution of the arrested suspects continued. In September 2024, a Kwara State High Court convicted five defendants — Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salahudeen Azeez, and Niyi Ogundiran — for armed robbery and culpable homicide, sentencing them to death. The verdict was later upheld by the Court of Appeal in January.
Meanwhile, the Kwara State Government has filed a fresh 20-count charge against Saraki and Ahmed over allegations of arming the convicted robbers. Other defendants include Abdulwahab and another aide, Alabi Olalekan.
Saraki has denied the allegations, accusing Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of attempting to damage his reputation.
Earlier, the Attorney-General’s office had recommended that Olalekan be prosecuted separately for illegal possession of firearms, while maintaining that available evidence at the time was insufficient to charge Saraki or Abdulwahab. It also advised that the case file be transferred to the Kwara State Attorney-General for prosecution of suspects directly linked to the robbery.
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