Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has accused the Kwara State Government of using the 2018 Offa bank robbery case to persecute him and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, following its decision to withdraw 18 of the 20 charges initially filed against them.
Mr Saraki, through his media office, said the decision to drop the charges relating to armed robbery, deaths of police officers and illegal possession of firearms showed that the allegations lacked credible evidence.
In a statement signed by Yusuph Olaniyonu, the spokesperson for the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office, the former Senate president described the development as an admission that the original allegations were unfounded.
The statement accused Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration of abusing the judicial process and using the case to damage the reputation of his predecessors ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It said the state government had withdrawn counts one to 18 of the original 20-count charge, which accused Mr Saraki, Mr Ahmed and two others of offences connected to the April 2018 robbery.
The two remaining counts reportedly accuse the former governors and the other defendants of belonging to a gang of thieves and concealing or causing the disappearance of a vehicle allegedly used for illegal purposes.
“The amendment to the charge sheet only reveals that there was no case against these gentlemen from the beginning,” the statement said.
The media office, however, acknowledged that the amended charges remained before the court and said Mr Saraki’s lawyers would challenge them.
Background to the prosecution
The development follows months of legal proceedings over the robbery, which left at least 32 people dead, including police officers, in April 2018.
In April, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Kwara State Government had filed a 20-count charge against Mr Saraki, Mr Ahmed, Yusuf Abdulwahab, a former chief of staff to Mr Ahmed, and another former aide, Alabi Olalekan.
The charges included criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide and unlawful possession of firearms.
The state government alleged that the defendants had links to the attack, claims they have consistently denied.
Mr Saraki had described the prosecution as politically motivated, insisting that earlier investigations by federal authorities found no evidence linking him to the robbery.
He also cited legal opinions issued by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation in 2018, which he said found no sufficient evidence to establish a connection between him and the crime.
The latest development also comes after Saheed Popoola, a former APC chieftain who is now the PDP senatorial candidate for Kwara South, admitted that he helped politicise the Offa robbery allegations against Mr Saraki during the campaign that preceded the 2019 elections.
Mr Popoola said he was among those who revived the issue to undermine the former Senate president for political reasons.
Saraki alleges political motive
Mr Saraki’s media office said the decision to withdraw the 18 charges came as the former Senate president was visiting communities across Kwara South to campaign for PDP candidates for the 2027 elections.
READ ALSO: TRIBUTE: Bukola Saraki at 63: Dissecting his unwavering commitment to national unity, By Yusuph Olaniyonu
It also accused the state government of spending nearly N100 million on newspaper advertisements publicising the original allegations, describing the expenditure as a waste of public funds.
The statement further alleged that individuals linked to the state government had encouraged some relatives of the robbery victims to institute a civil case against the former governors.
It described the prosecution as an attempt to blackmail and politically weaken Mr Saraki and Mr Ahmed.
“The criminal charges came after some individuals with links to the government had also goaded and incited some family members of the victims of the Offa robbery incident to file a civil case against the two former governors,” the statement said.
The media office maintained that Mr Saraki would contest the remaining charges and expressed confidence that they would not withstand judicial scrutiny.
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