2018 Offa Dacoity: PDP Flays Kwara Govt’s Decision To File Charges Against Saraki After Getting Cleared Of Wrongdoing…Alleges Political Witch hunt 

Kwara State PDP on Friday condemned the decision taken by the state government to file charges against former Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, former governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and others in respect of the robbery incident that occurred in Offa in 2018.

Alleging political witch hunt, the party also accused the Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq administration of seeking to discredit political opponents and in particular damage Dr Bukola Saraki’s reputation.

At the press conference held in Ilorin on Friday which was presided over by its spokesman, Mr Olusola Adewara, Kwara State PDP accused Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of coming up with the idea of revisiting the case because the party has continued to gain popularity in the state and it was also in reaction to the assertions made by Dr Saraki during his recent appearance on Channels TV’ Politics Today’s programme.

‘It is evident that Governor Abdulrazaq is now overwhelmed and has lost grip of leadership within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, where his authority has significantly diminished and his voice carries little weight. Even within his party, there is growing discontent over his failure to address the worsening security situation in the state—an unfortunate consequence of his absentee and ineffective leadership style.

Furthermore, the governor’s current desperation is not unconnected with the massive resurgence of the PDP across Kwara State. The unprecedented turnout of Kwarans at the recent post-convention rallies in Kwara Central and Kwara South has clearly debunked his long-standing propaganda that PDP is dead in the state. The reality today is that the PDP is not only alive but rapidly regaining the trust and confidence of the people, thereby exposing the governor’s political vulnerability.

We also note that this renewed campaign of falsehood began shortly after Dr. Saraki’s recent appearance on Channels Television, where he courageously exposed the alarming rate of insecurity, killings, and the takeover of rural communities in Kwara North and Kwara South by criminal elements—issues the present administration has woefully failed to address’ he said.

Accusing the governor of resurrecting a painful national tragedy for cheap political gain, the party also submitted that ‘this is dirty politics taken too far’ adding that ‘ It is both insensitive and dangerous for Governor Abdulrazaq to trivialize a tragedy of such magnitude—an incident that left deep scars on the people of Offa, many of who are still grappling with the trauma and loss’.

Kwara State PDP also asserted that Dr Saraki had been declared free from blame after the robbery incident and should therefore not have his name mentioned in connection with the case.  

‘For the avoidance of doubt, we remind the public that the Offa robbery case was thoroughly investigated by the Nigeria Police Force. Following these investigations, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, in two separate legal advisories dated June 22, 2018, and August 23, 2018, clearly stated that there was no evidence linking Dr. Bukola Saraki—either directly or indirectly—to the incident

To quote from those legal advisories, the first advisory reads :

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‘For the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged offence and the suspects’ and the second 

With regard to the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, since there is no departure from the earlier findings in the interim report, this office is still unable to establish any prima facie case against him for offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide.

On the strength of this clear legal position, suspects were prosecuted, convicted at the trial court, and the judgments were upheld at the appellate level. The matter is now before the Supreme Court.

We therefore challenge Governor Abdulrazaq and his propaganda machinery to present these complete legal records to the public, rather than selectively peddling misleading narratives aimed at deceiving unsuspecting citizens’ he added.

Kwara State PDP also urged the good people of Offa, especially the families directly affected by the robbery incident, to reject what it called the shameful attempt to turn their painful memories into tools of political propaganda adding that it is inconceivable that Saraki, who was then the Senate President, could be accused of getting involved in bank robbery.

‘It is both unreasonable and illogical to associate a statesman of Dr. Saraki’s standing—a two-term governor and former Senate President—with such a heinous crime. If Governor Abdulrazaq can descend to this level in his treatment of a predecessor, it raises serious questions about his own character as an outgoing governor’ the party added.

Mr Adewara noted that unlike in 2018, when such narratives were weaponized to manipulate public perception, the PDP will not this time around sit idly while the governor attempts to inflame tensions and poison the political atmosphere in the state.

‘We hereby place security agencies on notice. The governor’s actions appear aimed at creating unnecessary tension and disorder as a diversion from his administration’s glaring failures. We urge the Commissioner of Police and the Director of the Department of State Services in the state to take note of these dangerous developments and act in the interest of maintaining peace and stability’ he said

Recall that a fatal bank robbery occurred in Offa on April 5, 2018, which had armed robbers attacking the Divisional Police Headquarters and multiple banks in the community and it left over 30 people dead.

Recall also that five young men; Ayoade Akinrinbosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye and Adeola Abraham, who were defendants in the Offa bank robbery case and were arraigned on November 11, 2018, have been on death row since September 27, 2024, after getting declared convicted by Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin-Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079,  08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you