The Kwara State Government has formally initiated criminal proceedings against former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, filing a 20-count charge of culpable homicide and criminal conspiracy in connection with the April 2018 Offa bank robbery that claimed multiple lives.

The charge, numbered KWS/114C/26 and dated April 9, 2026, was filed by the Attorney-General of Kwara State, Ibrahim Sulyman, and is scheduled to be served on the defendants on Friday, April 17, 2026. Saraki, Ahmed, and two others—Ahmed’s former Chief of Staff, Yusuf Abdulwahab, and former political aide Alabi Olalekan—are expected to be arraigned before Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin on June 4, 2026.

Upon conviction, the defendants could face the maximum death sentence.

The legal action follows the recent decision of the Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, which upheld the death sentences imposed on five men convicted for the 2018 bank robbery. Among the convicts is Ayoade Akinnibosun, who allegedly confessed during trial to being a “hitman” operating within a political structure tied to Saraki and Ahmed.

According to the proof of evidence filed before the court, Akinnibosun claimed that he received two AK-47 rifles from Yusuf Abdulwahab two days before a political congress. He further alleged that he headed a group of political operatives working for Saraki and Ahmed, and that he was given a Toyota Lexus 300 Jeep bearing Saraki’s name as a number plate. The convict also stated that the last cash payment he received from the former governor’s office amounted to N500,000.

In his statement, Abdulwahab, the then Chief of Staff, admitted to giving Akinnibosun the Lexus Jeep as well as to other groups, and acknowledged that Akinnibosun and his associates visited Government House occasionally to discuss their empowerment, adding that the vehicle gift was at the instance of the then government.

Central to the prosecution’s case are exhibits recovered in 2018. Vehicles and other items traceable to the crime scenes were reportedly recovered from the Kwara State Government House and a government ministry, and were subsequently used as evidence leading to the conviction of the principal suspects. The police had previously alleged that a Lexus SUV used in the robbery was taken to Government House, Ilorin, shortly after the incident.

The long-standing connection between the convicted suspects and Saraki has been previously documented. In June 2018, the Nigeria Police Force revealed that Akinnibosun and other gang leaders attended the wedding ceremony of Saraki’s daughter. Photographs showed one of the suspects wearing an “Aso Ebi” (matching attire) used during the wedding. Police investigations also established that three gang leaders, including Akinnibosun, accompanied Saraki on a condolence visit to Offa following the bank robbery. Saraki has, however, consistently denied knowing Akinnibosun.

The 2018 Offa robbery was one of the most violent bank heists in Nigeria’s recent history. On April 5, 2018, armed robbers coordinated attacks on five commercial banks in Offa, headquarters of Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State. At least 32 persons, including nine police officers, were killed during the incident. The convicts—Niyi Ogundiran, Salawu Azeez, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Ayoade Akinnibosun, and Adeola Abraham—were found guilty of armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms, and culpable homicide. A sixth suspect, a retired police officer named Michael Adikwu, died in custody before the commencement of trial.

The appellate court, comprising Justices Ridwan Abdullahi, Gabriel Kolawole, and Abdul Dogo, dismissed the convicts’ appeal for lack of merit and ordered their immediate return to prison custody.

Saraki has characterized the legal action as politically motivated. The former Senate President has accused the Kwara State Government of deliberately plotting to ruin him politically by linking him to the robbery. He has described the allegations as a “witch-hunt aimed at tarnishing my reputation and undermining my political career”.

Former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has similarly denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that the claims against him are unfounded.

However, the prosecution intends to rely on confessional statements from convicted participants, recovered exhibits, and documentary evidence, including photographs showing the defendants’ associates in proximity to the convicted suspects.

The high-profile trial is expected to draw significant national attention, given the prominence of the defendants and the gravity of the Offa robbery case, which remains one of the most widely reported violent crimes in Kwara State in recent years.

The defendants are scheduled to enter their pleas when proceedings commence on June 4, 2026, before Justice Haleemah Salman, who presided over the original trial of the five convicted robbers.