A fresh war of words has erupted between the Kwara State chapters of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party over allegations linking former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, with individuals convicted in the 2018 Offa bank robbery.
The situation has further heightened political tension ahead of the 2027 general elections in the state.
The APC had, on Saturday, accused Saraki of maintaining longstanding ties with some of the convicted offenders, describing the alleged relationship as widely known and politically motivated.
However, the PDP, in a statement on Sunday, swiftly dismissed the claims as baseless, politically driven, and a calculated attempt to blackmail its leader.
New facts have, however, emerged indicating that the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation cleared Saraki of any link to the 2018 Offa bank robbery, despite new charges recently filed against him by the Kwara State Government.
The government, on Thursday, filed criminal charges against Saraki and his successor in office, Abdulfatah Ahmed, over the Offa robbery incident.
It filed a 20-count charge before the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin, accusing Saraki, Ahmed and two others of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide in connection with the deadly incident.
The charge, filed under case number KWS/114C/26, alleged that the defendants were armed suspects involved in the robbery and played roles in the criminal conspiracy.
Also listed in the charge are Yusuf Abdulwahab and a former aide, Alabi Olalekan.
They are expected to be arraigned before Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court on June 4.
The April 5, 2018, robbery was a highly coordinated attack on several commercial banks and a police station in Offa, Kwara State, Nigeria, resulting in the deaths of over 30 persons, including police officers.
Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, the APC State Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Abdulwaheed Babatunde, alleged that testimonies by key individuals during investigations pointed to a connection between Saraki and members of the gang responsible for the deadly robbery.
“The attention of the Kwara State chapter of the APC has been drawn to the melodramatic press statement by the PDP and Senator Bukola Saraki, accusing Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of a ‘surreptitious plot’ over the charges rightly instituted against him and three others in connection with the tragic 2018 Offa robbery incident,” Babatunde said.
He insisted that the former Senate President had no reason to be alarmed if he had nothing to hide, noting that the matter was now before a competent court.
“Neither Saraki nor the PDP needs to lose sleep if their hands are clean. But they must come to terms with the fact that courts deal with evidence and facts, not dramatic press statements designed to rewrite history,” he added.
Babatunde further alleged that testimonies from a former Chief of Staff to the Kwara State Government, Yusuf Abdulwahab, and Ayo Akinnibosun, one of the convicted suspects, suggested a relationship between Saraki and the group.
According to him, Akinnibosun, who allegedly led a political group funded by Saraki, made disclosures during interrogation that contradicted the former Senate President’s denials.
“Senator Saraki’s denial of any link with the convicted offenders is not only laughable but also characteristically deceptive, given the volume of evidence already in the public domain.
“The testimonies of Yusuf Abdulwahab and Ayo Akinnibosun clearly do not support Saraki’s claims. However, we leave the court to do its work when the trial commences in June,” Babatunde said.
The APC spokesman also criticised what he described as Saraki’s reliance on media narratives, urging him to submit himself fully to the judicial process.
“Law does not answer to press statements. Now that the state government has rightly said Saraki and others have questions to answer, the proper place to provide explanations is in court, not on Facebook or through sponsored media narratives,” he stated.
He maintained that the prosecution was a lawful exercise and should not be misconstrued as political persecution.
“It is a sacred and lawful duty of the state government to pursue justice in this matter.
“The court will determine guilt or innocence, but no one should attempt to whip up sentiments to shield anyone from facing the law. No one is above the law,” he added.
The APC further linked the controversy to broader concerns about insecurity, alleging that political actors had historically enabled criminal elements in the state.
“This is a time when Nigerians are demanding that sponsors of criminality, whether banditry, terrorism, or armed robbery, be exposed and held accountable.
“The Offa robbery remains a painful memory for many families, and justice must be served without fear or favour,” Babatunde said.
He also took a swipe at Saraki’s political standing, claiming the former governor no longer commands widespread trust due to what he described as a “poor record of integrity.”
He said, “While the PDP is busy re-litigating the past, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is focused on delivering dividends of democracy—building schools, constructing roads, upgrading healthcare facilities, and ensuring prompt payment of salaries and pensions.”
But in a swift rebuttal, the PDP described the APC’s allegations as “watery and pedestrian,” accusing the ruling party of attempting to resurrect a previously resolved matter for political gain.
In a statement signed by its State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Adewara, the PDP said the APC’s reliance on threats and accusations reflected intellectual bankruptcy.
“The Kwara State chapter of the PDP has taken note of the watery and pedestrian response issued by the APC following our recent press conference, as well as our leader’s sharp and timely reaction to the unintelligent attempt by the Abdulrahman-led government to resurrect the Offa robbery case as an instrument of blackmail,” the statement read.
The opposition party insisted that Saraki had already been cleared of any wrongdoing by relevant authorities, including the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
“For the sake of emphasis, we hereby state that there is absolutely nothing new in the documents that Governor AbdulRahman and his cohorts are currently parading in this renewed court process.
“These same claims have been previously investigated by the security agencies,” the PDP stated.
It added, “It is instructive to remind the public that on two separate occasions, the Director of Public Prosecution in the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, after thorough review of the police reports, not only absolved Dr Saraki of all allegations but explicitly stated that there was no link—direct or indirect—between him and the crime or the suspects involved in the Offa robbery.”
The PDP challenged the APC-led government to explain why the case was being revisited years after the original prosecution of the convicted offenders.
“If this matter is genuinely about justice, why was this so-called trial not initiated alongside the original prosecution of the convicted offenders?” the party queried.
It also referenced claims by the convicts that their initial confessional statements implicating Saraki were made under duress.
“It is equally important to recall that the convicts, who initially made televised confessional statements, later told the court that they were coerced by police officials handling the case to implicate Dr Saraki.
“According to them, they were promised a visa to leave the country, money, removal from the trial list, and other rewards if they implicated Dr Saraki,” the statement added.
The PDP further accused the state government of using the case as a distraction from governance challenges, warning that such tactics would not sway public opinion.
“Rather than his obsession with bringing Saraki down and making the PDP the scapegoat for his failure, the governor would do well to engage in honest self-assessment and corrective action if it is not already too late,” the party said.
“No amount of propaganda against Dr Saraki or the poor laundering of the governor’s image can alter the inevitable verdict that awaits AbdulRahman in 2027,” the PDP declared.
Meanwhile, two separate legal opinions issued in 2018 by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation concluded that there was no evidence linking Saraki to the Offa robbery.
The legal advice, dated June 22 and August 23, 2018, and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mohammed U.E., on behalf of the then Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, stated that available evidence did not establish any connection between Saraki and the crime.
The legal advice followed a detailed review of a 16-page police report prepared by the Intelligence Response Team of the Nigeria Police Force, led at the time by Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, which investigated the April 5, 2018, multiple bank robbery in Offa, Kwara State.
In a letter addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, the DPP stated that there was no nexus between Saraki and the alleged offences based on available evidence.
In the first legal advice dated June 22, 2018, and signed on behalf of the then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, the DPP stated, “For the Senate President (Saraki) and the Kwara State Governor (Ahmed), this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged offence and the suspects. Hence, it is our advice that further and thorough investigation in this regard be carried out.”
Following the submission of a second police report on July 27, 2018, the DPP issued another legal opinion dated August 23, 2018, reaffirming the earlier conclusion.
The three-page document noted, “With regards to the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, since there is no departure from the earlier findings in the interim report, this office is still unable to establish any prima facie case against him for any offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide punishable with death.”
The legal advice recommended the prosecution of six individuals directly linked to the robbery.
They included Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Ibrahim, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran, and Michael Adiukwu.
While Adiukwu later died in police custody, the remaining suspects were tried before the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.
During the trial, the defendants reportedly recanted earlier confessional statements implicating Saraki, alleging that they were coerced by investigators.
According to court records, the suspects claimed they were offered inducements, including money and promises of foreign travel visas, in exchange for implicating the former Senate President.
The trial eventually led to the conviction of five defendants, who were sentenced to death by the Kwara State High Court in September 2024.
The verdict was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin in January 2026.
The appellate panel, led by Justice Ridwan Abdullahi, alongside Justices Gabriel Kolawole and Abdul Dogo, ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, affirming the convictions of Ayoade Akinnibosun, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, and Salawu Azeez for armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms, and culpable homicide.
The case is currently pending before the Supreme Court.
Despite the earlier legal opinions and court rulings, the Kwara State Government has now instituted fresh charges against Saraki and others.
According to the state government, weapons and other exhibits linked to the robbery were recovered from the Government House and a state ministry in 2018 and were tendered during the trial of the principal suspects.
Prosecutors are also relying on confessional statements attributed to Akinnibosun, who allegedly claimed he led a group of armed operatives connected to political figures and received financial and logistical support.
The fresh charges have reignited debate over the Offa robbery case, which remains one of the most high-profile criminal incidents in Kwara State.
An Ilorin-based legal practitioner, Musa Andulraheem, said the new prosecution raised questions about the interplay between earlier federal legal advice and the powers of state governments to initiate criminal proceedings.
He noted that while the Attorney-General of the Federation’s opinion cleared Saraki based on available evidence at the time, the emergence of new evidence, if substantiated, could justify further legal action.
“Although the office of the Attorney General had cleared Saraki in 2018, if there are new facts, new charges can be filed,” he said.
Another legal practitioner, Saheed Imama, argued that the move risked being perceived as politically motivated, especially in the context of growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections.
“I don’t understand why the state government is bringing up this case again despite the advice of the DPP exonerating Saraki and the court convicting the suspects,” he said.
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