Fresh details have emerged on how the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF) cleared former Senate President, , of any involvement in the 2018 Offa robbery incident.
Two separate legal advice issued on June 22 and August 23, 2018, by the OAGF stated that there was no evidence linking Saraki to the crime. The documents were signed by the then Director of Public Prosecutions, Mohammed U.E., on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
At the time, served as the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.
The legal advice reportedly concluded that investigators were unable to establish any direct or indirect connection between Saraki and the armed robbery.
Background to the Offa Robbery
The incident occurred on April 5, 2018, in Offa, Kwara State, where multiple banks were attacked and a police station was raided, leading to the death of 33 persons, including a pregnant woman and 12 police officers.
Following the attack, police arrested several suspects, including the alleged gang leader, , who reportedly claimed links between the group and political figures.
Authorities had alleged that Akinnibosun identified members of the gang as political thugs connected to Saraki, including claims that the group received support through associates.
However, during public statements, the suspect also maintained that Saraki was not aware of the robbery operation.
The case later took another turn when, during a 2019 court hearing, Akinnibosun alleged that he and others were pressured by a senior police officer, , to implicate Saraki—an allegation that added to the controversy surrounding the investigation.
Court Verdict
In September 2024, a Kwara State High Court convicted five defendants in connection with the Offa robbery, sentencing them to death for offences including armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms and culpable homicide.
The convicts included Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salahudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran.
The Court of Appeal subsequently upheld the conviction and sentence in January, reinforcing the trial court’s judgment.
Despite the controversy that trailed the investigation, the OAGF’s legal advice remained that there was no prosecutable evidence linking Saraki to the incident.
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