Follow Us on Google
By Purity Francis
The Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, has rejected applications to halt proceedings in the fresh criminal case involving former Senate President Bukola Saraki, former Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed and two other defendants over the 2018 Offa bank robbery.
The decision clears the way for the Kwara State High Court, sitting in the Erin-Ile Judicial Division, to continue hearing the case on November 5, 2026(today).
In two separate appeals arising from the proceedings, the appellants had sought orders staying the trial pending the determination of their appeals. But the appellate court, presided over by Justice Ridwan Maiwada Abdullahi, refused the66 applications, holding that there was no justification for halting proceedings in the criminal matter.
The ruling was delivered on November 3, 2026, after arguments by counsel representing the parties.
The first appeal, CA/IL/4C/2026, was filed by Yusuf Abdulwahab against the People of Kwara State, Saraki, Ahmed and Alabi Olalekan.
The second, CA/IL/93C/2026, was filed by Alabi against the same parties.
Moving the applications, J. A. Mumini (SAN), counsel to the appellants, informed the court that his clients had been served with the respondents’ briefs on November 2. He consequently sought four days to file their reply briefs and also requested a stay of proceedings at the trial court.
While Chief R. O. Balogun (SAN), counsel to the Kwara State Government, did not oppose the request for an extension of time, he strongly objected to the application for stay of proceedings.
Balogun argued that a stay of proceedings was no longer available in criminal matters, describing the applications as attempts to frustrate the progress of the trial.
He also challenged the reliance on Section 15 of the Court of Appeal Act, arguing that the provision only empowers the appellate court to make orders that the High Court itself could make.
However, K. K. Eleja (SAN), representing the second respondent, supported the applications, urging the court to invoke Section 15 of the Act to halt the proceedings on the grounds that continuing the trial could render the appeals nugatory.
Counsel to the third respondent also expressed no objection to the applications.
In its ruling, the appellate court granted the appellants four days to file their reply briefs but rejected the request to suspend the criminal proceedings, stressing that it was a court of record and that there was no basis to stay proceedings in the criminal matter.
The Offa robbery case dates back to April 2018, when armed men attacked banks and killed several people in Offa, Kwara State. The suspects prosecuted over the robbery were convicted by the Kwara State High Court, while their appeals were subsequently dismissed by the Court of Appeal.
During the trial, Saraki and other political figures were allegedly linked to the incident, although the allegations were denied.
Subsequently, victims of the robbery reportedly instituted civil proceedings against the Kwara State Government and Ahmed, seeking accountability over the incident.
The Kwara State Government later filed a fresh 20-count criminal charge, marked KWS/114C/26, against Saraki, Ahmed, Abdulwahab and Alabi, accusing them of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide in connection with the robbery.
The defendants have denied the allegations, describing the charges as politically motivated
