Offa Robbery: DPP report advised probe, not Saraki’s exoneration – Governor’s aide 

In a rapidly evolving political situation regarding the April 2018 Offa bank robbery, an aide to the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has countered claims that a former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, was cleared of involvement by the Federal Director of Public Prosecutions (FDPP).

The Eagle Online has earlier reported that issues surrounding the clearance of Saraki’s involvement in the 2018 deadly robbery took another twist as the Kwara State Government filed a fresh 20-count charge against him and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.

This is coming years after the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice cleared him of any complicity in the April 5, 2018 deadly robbery.

Reacting, Saraki described the new charges as “frivolous” and “politically motivated”, alleging they are designed to embarrass him amid a resurgence of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State. 

He said 2018 reports from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (OAGF) found no evidence linking him to the robbery.

“This office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged offence and the suspects,” he quoted the 2018 DPP legal advice as stating.

In a swift response, a senior aide to the Kwara State governor, Ibraheem Abdullateef, claimed the 2018 report by the OAGF did not exonerate Saraki over the Offa robbery case.

Abdullateef, in a statement, said claims that the FDPP cleared him were misleading and did not reflect the full content of the advisory.

He said the OAGF in its preliminary report said it is “unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged offence and suspects”.

The aide explained that the same report advised “further and more thorough investigation” to determine whether Saraki and Ahmed were complicit in the planning and execution of the 2018 robbery.

According to him, the OAGF also recommended an additional probe into whether weapons used in the attack were supplied by either Saraki or Ahmed.

He said the report further urged investigators to explore “any other area or areas that may assist in establishing a prima facie case of aiding and abetting crime, or accessory after the fact”.

Abdullateef added that the OAGF advised that one Olalekan, a former aide to Ahmed, be charged for “offence of illegal possession of firearms”.

He said the report also found that there was “no evidence credible enough to sustain any charge based on any offence known to law” against Abdulwahab.

The aide noted that the OAGF recommended transferring the case file to the Kwara State Attorney General for further investigation and possible prosecution.

He maintained that the advisory did not amount to a final legal conclusion, stressing that a DPP report is not binding on the government and does not stop the state from filing charges.

Abdullateef also referenced the conviction of gang members involved in the Offa robbery, whose death sentences were upheld by the Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin on January 30, 2026.

He said the judgment had renewed calls for further prosecution of alleged accomplices, adding that some stakeholders and victims’ families continue to demand justice.

He stated that public commentary on the matter should be guided by facts, noting that the case was not concluded by the DPP report.