How Kwara State Governor
OpenLife News reports that former Senate President Bukola Saraki has accused the Kwara State Government of wasting almost N100 million advertising what he calls false claims against him — after the state government suddenly dropped 18 out of 20 charges linking him to the 2018 Offa bank robbery.
To Saraki, the withdrawal is not a technical amendment. It is an admission.An admission that the allegations were false from the beginning.
18 Charges Dropped, 2 Left
In a statement on Monday, Saraki, through his media office, described the withdrawal as an admission that the allegations against him and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed were false, insisting that the amended charges would also fail in court.
The statement was signed by Yusuph Olaniyonu of the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office in Abuja.
According to the media office, the state government had dropped 18 of the 20 counts in the original charge sheet, including allegations of:
Armed robbery
Causing the deaths of police officers
Illegal possession of firearms
The government retained two charges, which alleged that Saraki and Ahmed conspired to belong to a gang of thieves and actually belonged to such a gang, as well as allegations relating to concealing or causing the disappearance of a vehicle allegedly used for illegal purposes.
The media office said the government had previously attempted to arraign the two former governors on the charges but later amended the case.
It cited the first count of the original charge sheet, which alleged that Saraki, Ahmed and others conspired to commit armed robbery at the branches of Guarantee Trust Bank, First Bank, Ecobank and Union Bank in Offa, Kwara State, on April 5, 2018.
Another count alleged that they robbed Zenith Bank’s Offa branch while armed with guns and explosives.
Reacting to the withdrawal, Saraki’s media office said:“Both charges and 16 others with such ridiculous claims were dropped obviously because the government saw through the futility of the attempts to rope in Saraki and Ahmed and the fact that the charges lack any credible or factual basis.“
It added:“The amendment to the charge sheet only reveals that there was no case against these gentlemen from the beginning and what the state government is indulging in is abuse of powers, a travesty of the justice system, and mockery of the prosecutorial powers of the state.”
The N100m Advertising Question
This is where Saraki turned the heat on Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.His media office accused the Governor’s administration of using the case to tarnish the reputations of his predecessors ahead of the 2027 elections.
It further alleged that the state government had spent close to N100m advertising its claims against the former governors in national newspapers earlier in the year.
The statement described the expenditure as a waste of public funds, alleging that the money could have been used for public projects.
In other words, Saraki is asking: If the charges had no basis, why spend almost N100m telling Nigerians they did?
2027 Politics?
Saraki’s media office also linked the criminal charges to the political activities ahead of the 2027 elections, claiming that they were filed in an election year to discredit the former governor.
The statement noted that the amendment came while Saraki was visiting Offa and other communities in Kwara South to campaign for Peoples Democratic Party candidates ahead of the elections.
It maintained that Saraki’s lawyers would challenge the remaining charges in court.“We want to further reiterate our assurances to members of the public, particularly supporters of Dr Saraki, that he remains unperturbed by the machinations of the Kwara State Government and that just as the earlier charge sheet collapsed like a badly arranged pack of cards, the amended charge will also fail in court because they are claims that cannot withstand the slightest judicial scrutiny,” the statement said.
Timeline: How We Got Here
April 5, 2018: Violent bank robbery attack in Offa, Kwara State.
Following the attack, the police invited former Senate President Bukola Saraki for questioning after some of the arrested suspects allegedly implicated him. Saraki denied any connection with the robbery, describing the allegations as an attempt to implicate him.
June and August 2018:
Saraki says two legal opinions issued by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation found no evidence linking him to the robbery.
April 2026: The allegations resurfaced when the Kwara State Government filed a fresh 20-count charge against him, former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and two former aides, Yusuf Abdulwahab and Alabi Olalekan, over their alleged involvement in the robbery.
The charges included allegations of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide.Saraki rejected the allegations, maintaining that there was no evidence linking him to the robbery.
He subsequently described the prosecution as politically motivated and accused Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of using the robbery case to embarrass him.
Now, 18 counts dropped. 2 counts remain. Saraki says the rest will also collapse.
The question Kwara people are now asking, according to Saraki’s camp, is simple:Who will account for the almost N100m allegedly spent advertising charges that the government itself has now abandoned?
Former Governors Saraki, Abdulfatah Ahmed and alleged Offa robbery
Q: How many Offa robbery charges were dropped against Saraki?
A: Kwara State Government dropped 18 of the 20 counts in the original charge sheet against Bukola Saraki and Abdulfatah Ahmed, including armed robbery, causing deaths of police officers and illegal possession of firearms.
Q: What charges remain against Saraki and Ahmed?
A: Two charges remain — alleging conspiracy to belong to a gang of thieves and actually belonging to such a gang, and concealing or causing the disappearance of a vehicle allegedly used for illegal purposes.
Q: How much did Saraki accuse Kwara Govt of wasting?
A: Saraki’s media office alleged the Kwara State Government spent close to N100 million advertising its claims against the former governors in national newspapers earlier in the year, describing it as a waste of public funds.
Q: When did the Offa bank robbery happen?
A: The violent bank robbery attack in Offa, Kwara State, happened on April 5, 2018, targeting GTBank, First Bank, Ecobank, Union Bank and Zenith Bank branches.
Q: Why does Saraki say the case was filed?
A: Saraki says the prosecution is politically motivated, filed in an election year to discredit him and tarnish reputations ahead of the 2027 elections, and constitutes abuse of prosecutorial powers.
Q: What did the Attorney-General’s legal opinions say in 2018?
A: Saraki maintains that two legal opinions issued by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation in June and August 2018 found no evidence linking him to the Offa robbery.
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