DPP advice on Offa robbery not exoneration…. defend yourself in court – Kwara government tells Saraki

The Kwara state government says it would be abdicating its duties if it ignores the evidence linking Bukola Saraki to the Offa robbery incident of 2018.

The government was reacting to recent comments by Saraki, former senate president, who had described the criminal charge against him as a witch-hunt intended to “embarrass my person”.

On April 17, the Kwara state government filed a 20-count charge against Saraki and Abdulfatah Ahmed, former governor of the state, over allegations of arming suspects convicted of robbery in Offa.

Other defendants in the case are Yusuf Abdulwahab, a former chief of staff to Ahmed, and Alabi Olalekan, another aide.

ROBBERY INCIDENT AND CONVICTIONS

Multiple banks were raided on April 5, 2018, and a police station was attacked in Offa, a town in Kwara state, resulting in 33 fatalities that included 12 police officers.

In September 2024, a high court in Kwara found the five defendants — Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salahudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran — guilty of illegal possession of firearms, armed robbery, and culpable homicide.

The defendants were sentenced to death.

In January, the court of appeal upheld the convictionand sentence of the five convicts.

THE ‘SARAKI LINK’

Hours after the robbery incident, the police invited Saraki and alleged that Akinnibosun, the alleged kingpin, claimed that the gang members were Saraki’s political thugs.

The police also alleged that Akinnibosun claimed that he received vehicles and monetary gifts from Saraki through Abdulwahab.

Speaking during the parade of suspects, Akinnibosun told journalists that his group had been working for Saraki since he was governor.

The suspected kingpin also told journalists that Saraki was not aware of their involvement in the armed robbery.

Akinnibosun, however, made a turnaround during a court hearing in March 2019, where he alleged that Abba Kyari, then deputy commissioner of police, asked him and the other accused persons to implicate Saraki.

He claimed that he was threatened to make confessional statements.

Saraki has since denied any form of connection to the armed robbery suspects.

SARAKI’S RESPONSE 

In his reaction to the criminal charge filed against him by the state government, Saraki said the robbery had been investigated by the police team from the office of the inspector-general of police.

Saraki added that two separate legal advice dated June 22nd, 2018, and August 23rd, 2018, from 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,” Saraki said in a statement issued last week.

“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.”

‘YOU CAN DEFEND YOURSELF IN COURT’

The Kwara state government, in a statement issued on Saturday through Bolanle Olukoya, commissioner for communications, said it would refrain from engaging Saraki in the public space because the case is now before the court.

The state government said it is, however, necessary to restate the circumstances surrounding the charges which stemmed from the robbery attack.

According to the statement, convictions have since been secured in the case, including a judgment delivered by the court of appeal in January 2026.

The government said evidence presented in court, including confessional statements by convicted persons, allegedly linked Saraki, Ahmed, and other officials to the robbery suspects.

It alleged that the convicts claimed to have received logistical support, including vehicles, cash, and arms, from Saraki through a former chief of staff to the governor, Yusuf Abdulwahab.

The suspects also reportedly stated that a vehicle used for the operation was later hidden within government premises before being recovered by investigators.

The statement further noted that one of the convicted robbers was seen on Saraki’s entourage during a condolence visit to Offa after the incident and was also photographed with him at a private event.

On Saraki’s reliance on the 2018 DPP advice, the government argued that the document did not amount to an exoneration but rather called for further investigation.

It added that the authority to prosecute offences committed within Kwara rests with the state’s attorney-general, not federal authorities.

The government also noted that the DPP’s advice was issued before court proceedings began and before any convictions were secured.

“Even if it were otherwise, in the overall context it would be of little or no value or relevance to the present charges,” the statement reads.

While emphasising that filing charges does not amount to a declaration of guilt, the government maintained that it had a duty to act on available evidence, regardless of the status of those implicated.

“In the face of the foregoing, no responsible government ought to turn a blind eye to the evidence available to it,” the statement added.

“People have been prosecuted for less. The fact that highly placed persons were implicated by the convicts should not be a reason for the State to abdicate its statutory responsibilities.

“We further emphasise that no prosecutor determines guilt; that is the exclusive function of the court…However, to ignore the evidence would amount to an abdication of duty and would effectively suggest that certain persons are above the law.”

It reiterated that Saraki and other defendants retain the constitutional right to defend themselves in court and urged them to do so through the judicial process.(TheCable)