Former Senate President Bukola Saraki Maintain Innocence Over Offa Robbery Case, Cites Political Blackmail

Former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has firmly denied any involvement in the 2018 Offa armed robbery incident, describing the fresh criminal charges filed against him by the Kwara State Government as a politically motivated witch-hunt.

Saraki, who spoke out in a strongly worded statement on Friday, accused the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, of initiating what he called a frivolous and malicious legal action aimed at tarnishing his reputation.

The former Senate President stated that he was initially inclined to ignore the development but decided to respond publicly following an outpouring of concern from many well-meaning Nigerians who were surprised by the turn of events.

Thus, for the benefit of the general public, let me categorically state that I have nothing to do directly or indirectly with any case of armed robbery or any criminal matter whatsoever, Saraki said. The Offa robbery incident was designed under the Buhari administration with the connivance of some individuals from Kwara State as an instrument of blackmail to seize political power from our group in 2019.

Saraki recalled that the case was thoroughly investigated by a police team from the office of the Inspector General of Police. He noted that following the investigation, two separate legal advices dated June 22, 2018, and August 23, 2018, were issued by the Director of Public Prosecution in the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

The DPP in his first legal advice stated that for the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged offence and the suspects, Saraki quoted. He added that a second report reaffirmed that with regards to the Senate President, since there is no departure from the earlier findings, this office is still unable to establish any prima facie case against him for any offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide.

The former Senate President pointed out that based on the DPPs advice, four suspects were charged in court by the Kwara State Government. They were convicted at the trial court, and the conviction was upheld by the appellate court, with the matter now before the Supreme Court.

Saraki alleged that the governor suddenly resurrected these baseless charges after he granted an interview to Channels Television where he commented on the insecurity situation in the state. He further accused the state government of deliberately hiding the DPP reports and other exculpatory documents in what he described as a propaganda effort to mislead the media and the public.

Therefore, I am under no illusion that this case was a frivolous move and an abuse of court process to embarrass my person, Saraki stated. My legal team will definitely meet this governor in court.

The former Senate President also claimed that the governor had attempted to induce families of the victims to initiate civil litigations against him, but that the families later backed out of that mischievous effort.

Saraki did not hold back in his criticism of the governor, warning that a sitting governor who is accusing his two immediate predecessors of armed robbery is only making a mockery of the institution of governance.

He is only taking the governorship of our dear state to the gutter, Saraki said. This is an example of dirty politics taken too far and too low. He ought to know that nobody at the national or state level is buying his claim.

The former Senate President further argued that the governors focus on filing politically motivated charges was misplaced, especially given the security challenges facing the state.

One would have thought that a governor whose state has lost over 400 lives to banditry between January 2025 and March 2026, with over 100 others kidnapped, would concentrate efforts on taming the menace, Saraki said. No, he is fixated on filing frivolous and politically motivated charges against his predecessors. This shows the dark mindset of the man who is the governor of Kwara State today.

Despite his strong denial, Saraki faces a legal battle ahead. The Kwara State Government has officially filed a 20-count charge against him, along with former Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed, Ahmeds former Chief of Staff Yusuf Abdulwahab, and another aide Alabi Olalekan. The charge, marked KWS/114C/26, was filed on April 9, 2026, by the state Attorney-General, Ibrahim Sulyman.

The defendants are accused of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide, among other offences, and could face the death penalty if convicted. The charge follows a ruling by the Court of Appeal which upheld the conviction of key suspects in the robbery, including Ayo Akinnibosun, who reportedly confessed during trial to being a hitman operating within Sarakis political network.

Saraki and the other defendants are scheduled to be arraigned before Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin on June 4, 2026.