Offa robbery: Kwara withdraws armed robbery allegation against Saraki, reduces charges to four

Kwara State has applied to reduce its Offa robbery charges against Bukola Saraki and Abdulfatah Ahmed from 20 counts to four, dropping the armed robbery allegations, and Saraki says he will contest what remains.

The Kwara State Government has applied to drop armed robbery allegations against former Senate President Bukola Saraki and ex-governor Abdulfatah Ahmed over the 2018 Offa robbery, which killed 33 people, and to reduce a 20-count charge to four, TheCable reports.

The amended charge, filed at the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin, retains counts of conspiracy to belong to and belonging to a gang of thieves. It adds two counts over the alleged concealment of a Lexus RX Jeep bearing the inscription ‘SARAKI’ as its plate number.

Allegations of armed robbery, causing the deaths of police officers and illegal firearm possession were dropped. Two former aides of Ahmed are defendants.

Saraki’s media office said the withdrawal showed “there was no case against these gentlemen from the beginning”.

“Even these newly filed charges will be contested and at the end of the day the public will see that all attempts to demonise, persecute, and blackmail Dr. Saraki will fail,” the statement said.