Kwara Govt Files Fresh Charges Against Saraki Over Offa Robbery
The Kwara State Government has filed fresh charges against former Senate President Bukola Saraki and former Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed over the 2018 Offa bank robbery case, dropping 18 counts from the original 20-count charge.
The latest amendment has reduced the number of charges against the two former governors and two other defendants to four, introducing new allegations relating to conspiracy and membership of a gang of thieves.
The development marks another turn in the prolonged legal battle surrounding the deadly robbery that occurred in Offa, Kwara State, in April 2018.
Under the amended charge sheet, the state government has retained two counts from the earlier case while introducing two additional charges.
However, all the previous allegations specifically relating to armed robbery against Saraki, Ahmed and the other defendants have been removed.
The amended charge, identified as KWS/114C/2026, was signed by the Kwara State Attorney General, Senior Ibrahim Sulyman (SAN).
The new charges were filed against Saraki, Ahmed, Yusuf Abdulwahab and Alabi Olalekan.
In the first two counts, the defendants were accused of “conspiring to belong to gang of thieves” and “belonging to gang of thieves”.
The remaining two counts concern allegations involving the concealment and disappearance of a “vehicle used for illegal purpose”.
The prosecution has also submitted a motion on notice dated November 6, 2026, seeking the court’s consideration of the amended charges.
The application was accompanied by a six-paragraph affidavit sworn by Sulyman Mohammed-Jamiu, a litigation clerk in the office of the Kwara State Attorney General.
With the amendment, the state government has effectively abandoned the 18 counts contained in its original charge sheet, leaving only four allegations against the defendants.
The removal of the armed robbery-related allegations represents a significant change in the direction of the prosecution, considering that the case was initially instituted in connection with the deadly bank robbery that shook Offa community in 2018.
The incident involved attacks on several banks and other locations in the town.
The robbery resulted in the deaths of several people, including police officers and civilians, and attracted nationwide attention.
Saraki and Ahmed were subsequently linked to the case by the Kwara State Government, which initiated legal proceedings against them alongside two other defendants.
Both former governors have consistently contested the allegations through their legal representatives.
However, the proceedings have faced several legal obstacles since the case commenced at the Kwara State High Court in April 2026.
Rather than proceeding to a full trial, much of the court’s attention has been occupied by preliminary applications and disagreements over the procedure to be followed.
At the last sitting on November 5, 2026, Justice Osuolale Ajayi reserved his ruling on whether the trial court could proceed with the arraignment of the defendants despite a pending application for a stay of proceedings before the Court of Appeal.
The issue arose following an application connected to the ongoing legal challenge by the defendants.
A day earlier, on November 3, the Court of Appeal had considered the matter after an appearance by counsel to Ahmed, J. A. Mumini (SAN).
During the proceedings, the appellate court advised the lawyer to submit a formal application requesting an order directing parties before the trial court to maintain the status quo ante bellum.
The advice followed an oral submission made by the defence counsel on the need to preserve the existing position pending the determination of the appeal.
The Court of Appeal subsequently adjourned the matter to November 12, 2026.
Reacting to the development, a member of the legal team representing Saraki and Ahmed criticised the prosecution’s decision and questioned the basis for the new charges.
The lawyer described the prosecution’s efforts against the two former governors as “a mockery of the judicial process and an exercise in futility”.
The legal representative also expressed surprise that the government had replaced the previous armed robbery-related allegations with charges bordering on membership of a gang of thieves.
According to the lawyer, “a funny turn of events to accuse two former governors of belonging to a gang of thieves.
“This is not just a disgrace to the institution of governorship of our dear state; it is also a drag on the name of our dear state in the mud.
“And all this struggle is just because the present government desperately wants to see the former governors in the dock. They moved from the case of armed robbery to joining a gang of thieves.
“It is clear that the government is bereft of ideas on how to achieve its aim”.
The lawyer further maintained that the amended charge sheet would not succeed, insisting that the defence was prepared to challenge the allegations before the court.
The legal representative added that “The present charge sheet like the one they abandoned will record no success.
“It will fall like a pack of badly arranged cards. We will meet them in court.
“This is why we believe the AG should be more assertive in advising his principal to stop chasing shadows.
“They must have resorted to this new amendment to the charges after realising they will not be able to achieve their aims with the unwieldy list of charges earlier filed. The new charges will not turn out better”.
Meanwhile, attempts to obtain an official response from the Kwara State Attorney General and other lawyers representing the state government were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
However, sources familiar with the government’s position indicated that the amendment followed legal advice from the Attorney General and members of the prosecution team.
According to the sources, the prosecution had concluded that the earlier charge sheet, which contained 20 counts, would not achieve the government’s objectives in the case.
