Offa Robbery: Saraki, Ex-Gov Ahmed Charged With Culpable Homicide Over 2018 Attack That Killed 33

The Kwara State Government has filed 20 counts of culpable homicide and criminal conspiracy against former Senate President Bukola Saraki and former Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed over the infamous April 2018 Offa armed robbery, which left 33 people dead.

The charge, dated April 9, 2026, alleges that the defendants armed convicted suspects including Ayo Akinnibosun, who confessed to being a hit man in Saraki’s political network. Vehicles and exhibits traced to the robbery were reportedly recovered from the Kwara State Government House, a detail that, if proven, connects the crime directly to the seat of state power.

The Offa robbery

On April 5, 2018, a gang of armed robbers attacked five banks and a police station in Offa, Kwara State, killing 33 people including nine police officers. It was one of the most violent robberies in Nigerian history, and the investigation quickly became political, with suspects allegedly linking themselves to Saraki’s political structure.

Saraki, who was Senate President at the time, denied any involvement and called the allegations a political witch hunt. The case has been in and out of the courts for eight years, with multiple adjournments, transferred judges, and shifting narratives.

The charges

The new charges are serious. Culpable homicide is a capital offence in Nigeria. If convicted, Saraki and Ahmed could face the death penalty. The 20 counts include conspiracy to commit armed robbery, accessory after the fact to armed robbery, and culpable homicide. The prosecution’s case rests heavily on the confessions of Akinnibosun and others who allegedly named Saraki as their sponsor.

The political dimension

This case has been political from the start. Saraki was the Senate President who defected from the APC to the PDP in 2018, triggering a power struggle that contributed to the APC’s internal crisis ahead of the 2019 elections. Many saw the initial robbery investigation as politically motivated, an attempt to neutralise a powerful dissenting voice.

The timing of these charges, filed just weeks before the 2027 election cycle heats up, will raise eyebrows. But the gravity of the allegations, 33 dead, armed suspects linked to the Government House, a sitting Senate President accused of sponsoring terrorism, demands that the case be heard on its merits, regardless of the political calendar.

Arraignment is set for June 4 before Justice Haleemah Salman. Eight years after Offa, the families of the 33 victims may finally see their day in court. Whether that day delivers justice or another adjournment remains to be seen.

Sources: NaijaNews, Matrix NG, Punch