Court to arraign Saraki, Ahmed, others over alleged role in Offa robbery
The Kwara State Government has filed a 20-count charge of culpable homicide and criminal conspiracy against former Senate President Bukola Saraki, former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, and two others over their alleged roles in the 2018 Offa armed robbery incident.
Those also listed in the charge, filed under case number KWS/114C/26, include Yusuf Abdulwahab, former Chief of Staff to Ahmed, and another aide, Alabi Olalekan. The defendants are expected to be arraigned before Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin on June 4.
The charges follow the Court of Appeal’s affirmation of earlier convictions linked to the robbery case, including Ayo Akinnibosun, who allegedly confessed during trial to being a hitman within a political network.
The state government alleges that weapons and other exhibits connected to the crime were recovered from the Government House and a state ministry in 2018 and later tendered in court as evidence leading to the convictions.
However, Saraki has denied any involvement, accusing the state government of pursuing a politically motivated case aimed at tarnishing his reputation.
In parts of the evidence presented in court, Akinnibosun allegedly claimed he led a group of armed political operatives linked to Saraki and then-Governor Ahmed, saying they received financial support and operational backing.
He further alleged that firearms and a vehicle bearing Saraki’s name plate were provided through a senior government official ahead of political activities.
The prosecution is expected to rely on confessional statements and recovered exhibits as the case proceeds, while the defendants maintain their innocence as the trial date approaches.
It is a matter of public record that the suspects in this case alleged they were tortured and offered bribes to implicate Senator Saraki as far back as 2019.
For the Kwara State Government to now file a 20-count homicide charge based on the same tainted narrative, after years of federal authorities finding no direct link, is an assault on the rule of law…
When you recycle old, unsubstantiated allegations to paralyze political opponents, you aren’t seeking justice for the victims of Offa, you’re just holding the judiciary hostage.
You don’t wait nearly a decade to file homicide charges if your evidence is solid. You should stop reason with your Anus and where is your charge arraign both of them in court . You will soon be arrest
People’s eyes have opened. All this yeye propaganda won’t work again
Kwarans has wake up. Your propaganda machine against Saraki can’t work out again.
We are familiar with this narrative, and the public is more discerning than the governor believes. The general populace is now well-informed, rendering this initiative dead on arrival.