Former Senate President Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has accused Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of attempting to revive allegations linking him to the 2018 Offa robbery incident for political reasons.
In a statement issued on Friday, April 17, 2026, Saraki described the move as “a desperate ploy by a drowning politician,” insisting that he had no direct or indirect involvement in the robbery case.
Saraki said the allegation was first raised during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari and was intended to weaken his political influence ahead of the 2019 general election.
According to him, investigations conducted by a police team from the office of the Inspector-General of Police failed to establish any connection between him and the crime.
He cited two separate legal opinions issued in June and August 2018 by the Director of Public Prosecution in the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, which reportedly stated that there was no evidence linking him to the robbery.
Saraki quoted the first legal advice as saying that investigators were “unable to establish” any nexus between him and the suspects. He said the second report also concluded that there was no prima facie case against him for criminal conspiracy, armed robbery or culpable homicide.
The former Senate President noted that four suspects were eventually prosecuted by the Kwara State Government and convicted by the trial court. He added that the convictions were later upheld on appeal and that the matter is currently before the Supreme Court.
Saraki alleged that Governor Abdulrazaq only moved to revisit the case after he criticised the state government’s handling of insecurity during a recent interview on Channels Television.
He accused the governor of circulating “frivolous charges” and related documents in national newspapers while deliberately withholding the earlier legal opinions that cleared him.
Saraki further claimed that the governor had previously attempted to persuade families of the robbery victims to institute civil suits against him and other former officials, but that the effort did not succeed.
He described the governor’s actions as an abuse of the judicial process and said his legal team had been instructed to challenge the matter in court.
“A sitting governor who is accusing his two immediate predecessors of armed robbery is only making a mockery of the institution,” Saraki said.
The former Senate President also criticised Abdulrazaq over the security situation in Kwara State, claiming that more than 400 people had been killed by bandits between January 2025 and March 2026, while more than 100 others had been kidnapped.
He said the governor should focus on tackling insecurity rather than pursuing what he described as politically motivated charges.
Despite his criticism, Saraki said he remained confident in the judiciary and expressed belief that the courts would eventually dismiss the allegations against him.
“I have full confidence in the judiciary to separate the truth from falsehood,” he said.
