Former Senate President Saraki, Ex-Kwara Governor Ahmed To Face Trial June 4 Over 2018 Offa Armed Robbery

Former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and former Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatai Ahmed, are set to face trial on June 4, 2026, over a fresh 20-count charge filed against them by the Kwara State Government.

The charges, which include culpable homicide, criminal conspiracy, and other offences, stem from the April 2018 Offa armed robbery incident.

Also named as defendants in the case before Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court are Yusuf Abdulwahab, former Chief of Staff to ex-Governor Ahmed, and Alabi Olalekan, a former political aide.

The charge, dated April 9, 2026, was filed by the state’s Attorney-General, Ibrahim Sulyman, SAN, and is scheduled to be served on the defendants on April 17, 2026.

The trial, registered under charge number LWS/114C/26, comes after the Court of Appeal upheld the conviction of the principal suspects, including Ayo Akinnibosun, who confessed during trial to being a hitman for Saraki’s political structure.

Prosecutors allege that the defendants conspired to sponsor and arm individuals involved in the deadly robbery, which claimed multiple lives and provoked widespread outrage.

Central to the government’s case are confessional statements reportedly made by Akinnibosun, who described himself as a “hitman” operating within a political network allegedly tied to the accused persons, according to The NigeriaLawyer.

Prosecutors allege that Akinnibosun, one of the convicted suspects, claimed he received two AK‑47 rifles from Yusuf Abdulwahab ahead of a political congress, along with a Toyota Lexus SUV bearing Saraki’s number plate and cash described as “empowerment funds.”

According to the state, the armed group was allegedly tied to operations connected to the political networks of both Saraki and Ahmed.

The charge further cites claims that some of the convicted suspects accompanied Saraki during a condolence visit to Offa shortly after the robbery, and references the recovery of vehicles and other exhibits allegedly traced to Kwara State government facilities at the time.

On January 30, the Court of Appeal, Ilorin Judicial Division, upheld the death sentences of the five individuals convicted over the 2018 Offa bank robbery, dismissing all grounds of appeal filed by the convicts as lacking merit.

The court has dismissed all their grounds and upheld that their conviction should stand.

The convicts, Akinnibosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye, and Adeola Abraham, were found guilty of illegal possession of firearms, armed robbery, and culpable homicide.

The sixth suspect, Michael Adikwu, a retired police officer, died in custody before the trial began.

The offences were linked to a violent robbery that targeted five banks in Offa Local Government Area, Kwara State, leaving at least 32 people dead, including nine police officers, two of whom were women.

Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court initially handed down the death sentences after a six-year trial that drew nationwide attention.

Delivering a judgment that lasted over four hours, Justice Salman stated that the convicts “acted contrary to the law and allowed their connections with those in power at the time to lead them astray.”

In addition to the death sentence by hanging, the court imposed three-year prison terms for illegal possession of firearms, in accordance with Nigeria’s penal code.

Investigators recalled that vehicles and exhibits linked to the crime scenes were recovered from the Kwara State Government House and a government ministry in 2018, and were later tendered as evidence leading to the conviction of the main suspects.

Saraki has consistently denied any involvement, dismissing the allegations as politically motivated and describing them as a “witch‑hunt” aimed at tarnishing his reputation and undermining his political career.”

Former Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed has likewise denied the allegations, insisting the claims against him are baseless.

The high‑profile trial, scheduled to begin on June 4, 2026, is expected to draw significant national attention, given the stature of the defendants and the gravity of the Offa robbery case, one of the most notorious violent crimes in Kwara State’s recent history.(SaharaReporters)