Offa Robbery: Saraki, Ahmed Await Appeal Court Verdict as Battle Over Trial Judge Intensifies

The Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, has reserved judgment in an appeal seeking the reassignment of the ongoing Offa robbery case involving former Senate President Bukola Saraki, former Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and two former aides to another judge.

The appellate court, presided over by Justice Ridwan Maiwada Abdullahi, reserved judgment on Thursday, November 12, 2026, after hearing arguments from lawyers representing the parties.

The appeal, filed by Alabi Olalekan against the People of Kwara State, with Saraki, Ahmed and Yusuf Abdulwahab listed among the other parties, challenges aspects of the proceedings before the Kwara State High Court.

The appellant is asking the Court of Appeal to direct the Chief Judge of Kwara State to transfer the case to another judge, raising fresh questions about the handling of the criminal proceedings arising from the deadly April 5, 2018, Offa bank robbery.

At Thursday’s sitting, counsel to the appellant, J.A. Mumini (SAN), informed the court about the processes already filed, including the appellant’s brief of argument and pending applications.

However, Mumini withdrew a motion for an interim injunction seeking to restrain the continuation of proceedings at the trial court.

Counsel to the Kwara State Government, Chief R.O. Balogun (SAN), also withdrew the counter-affidavit filed in opposition to the application.

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Following the withdrawals, the appellate court struck out the motion seeking to stop the continuation of the trial.

The proceedings subsequently shifted to the substantive appeal and a preliminary objection filed by the prosecution.

Balogun adopted the preliminary objection filed on November 9, 2026, urging the appellate court to strike out the appeal.

He challenged the appellant’s reliance on a document contained on page 1,146 of the appeal records, arguing that it lacked proper certification, a receipt and the signature and name of the judge who purportedly signed the ruling.

The prosecution counsel also argued that granting the request to transfer the case to another judge would establish a bad precedent.

According to him, the circumstances surrounding the trial court’s decision to order the arraignment of the defendants did not provide sufficient grounds for seeking the reassignment of the case.

He therefore urged the appellate court to dismiss the appeal.

In response, Mumini adopted a counter-affidavit filed on November 11, 2026, opposing the prosecution’s preliminary objection.

He also adopted the appellant’s brief of argument and urged the court to grant the appeal by directing the Chief Judge of Kwara State to reassign the proceedings to another judge.

Counsel representing the other respondents indicated that they had no objection to the appellant’s prayers.

After listening to the arguments, Justice Abdullahi reserved judgment on the substantive appeal.

The latest development adds another layer to the legal complications surrounding the Kwara State Government’s prosecution of Saraki, Ahmed and two former aides over the 2018 Offa robbery.

The case has been characterised by preliminary objections, applications and appeals, delaying the commencement of the substantive trial.

In a related development, the Kwara State Government recently amended its original 20-count charge against the four defendants, dropping 18 counts and retaining two while introducing two additional counts.

The amended four-count charge includes allegations bordering on conspiracy to belong to a gang of thieves, membership of such a gang, and the alleged concealment or disappearance of a vehicle said to have been used for an unlawful purpose.

The development followed the government’s decision to revise the original charges, which had included allegations relating to armed robbery and other offences connected with the deadly incident.

Saraki and the other defendants have not been convicted in the fresh proceedings and remain entitled to the constitutional presumption of innocence.

The Offa bank robbery occurred on April 5, 2018, when armed attackers stormed several commercial banks and a police station in Offa, Kwara State.

The attack resulted in the deaths of several people, including police officers, and became one of the most notorious bank robbery incidents in Nigeria.

Five principal suspects were convicted by a Kwara State High Court in September 2024, with their convictions subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal.

The fresh proceedings involving Saraki, Ahmed, Abdulwahab and Olalekan are separate from the trial that resulted in those convictions.

The judgment now awaited from the Court of Appeal concerns the request to transfer the fresh proceedings to another judge and the prosecution’s objection to the appeal. It does not determine the guilt or innocence of the four defendants.