The withdrawal of 18 armed robbery-related charges against former Senate President Bukola Saraki and ex-Kwara Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has reignited their dispute with the state government, with Saraki describing the development as proof that the allegations against them were unfounded.
In a statement issued in Abuja by Yusuph Olaniyonu of the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office, the former Senate President accused the Kwara State Government of abusing its prosecutorial powers and misusing the judicial process. He also insisted that the two remaining charges would not stand in court.
The state government had reduced the original 20-count charge to two, dropping allegations bordering on armed robbery, the killing of police officers and illegal possession of firearms.
The case dates back to the April 5, 2018, robbery attacks on several banks in Offa, Kwara State. Saraki was initially questioned by the police after some arrested suspects reportedly linked him to the incident, an allegation he consistently denied.
In April 2026, the state government filed a fresh 20-count charge against Saraki, Ahmed and two former aides, Yusuf Abdulwahab and Alabi Olalekan, over their alleged involvement in the robbery.
The two charges retained in the amended case accuse Saraki and Ahmed of conspiring to belong to a gang of thieves and being members of the alleged gang. They also contain allegations relating to the concealment or disappearance of a vehicle said to have been used for unlawful activities.
Saraki’s media office argued that the withdrawal of the 18 counts exposed the weakness of the original allegations and questioned why the state government had pursued the case in the first place.
It also accused Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s administration of using the prosecution to damage the reputations of his predecessors ahead of the 2027 elections.
The statement further alleged that the government spent nearly 100 million naira on newspaper advertisements publicising its claims against the former governors, describing the expenditure as a waste of public resources that could have funded development projects.
It also linked the timing of the amended charges to Saraki’s recent political activities in Offa and other communities in Kwara South, where he had been campaigning for Peoples Democratic Party candidates ahead of the elections.
Despite the withdrawal of most of the charges, Saraki’s media office says his legal team will challenge the remaining counts, maintaining that they lack credible evidence and will not withstand judicial scrutiny.
