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In many ways, the nature of Nigerian politics has a chaotic smell. It brings out the true nature of man. It heaves with hysteria, full of irrational decisions by those who hold the levers of power. That’s why our democracy is faltering because, today’s friends can become enemies tomorrow. It’s indeed, troubling watching some leaders taking their eyes off the ball of critical issues that should advance the development of their states and the living conditions of the citizens. For such leaders, the focus is on old issues just to achieve cheap political gain.
Eight years came full circle last month, April 5, 2018, when a coordinated robbery attack on five banks occurred in broad daylight in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara state. No fewer than 32 persons were killed in the robbery incident. The victims included nine policemen in active duty. Two of them were women. The incident was regarded as one of the deadliest bank robberies in Nigeria’s history. The initial investigation led to the arrest of five principal suspects.
The suspects were tried for culpable homicide and illegal possession of firearms. During the trial, some of the suspects allegedly claimed they were hired political thugs. That claim was highly disputed. The police later faced scrutiny over the thoroughness of their investigation report. However, after six years of trial, the suspects were sentenced to death by hanging in September 2024 by Justice Halima Salesman of the Kwara state High Court. Their conviction was seen as a major, albeit delayed step in achieving justice. The Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, comprising of Hon Justices Ridwan Abdullahi, Gabriel Kolawole and Abdul Dogo, on January 30, 2026 upheld the death sentence on the five convicts. When many thought the robbery case had ended with a sentence passed on the convicts and affirmed by the Appellate Court, like a lightning rod in the air, the Kwara state government recently revived the case.
Very much like searching for a smoking gun against perceived enemies, the state government said it has filed a 20- count charge against former Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki and immediate past governor of the state, Abdulfatai Ahmed, and two others.
Though the state government claimed it “has no interest in any witch-hunt or victimisation” against Saraki and others, in the charge filed under case number KWS/114C/26 , it accused Saraki, and Ahmed of arming the suspects linked to the robbery. It claimed that “the evidence before the court, together with the confessional statements of the convicts unequivocally spoke to alleged relationship with Bukola Saraki and Abdulfatai Ahmed”. The state government also dismissed the report of the Director of Public Prosecution(DPP) at the Federal Ministry of Justice which had exonerated Saraki, stating that the “document in question was an advice, not a vindication or a final conclusion”, and therefore, of no “relevance to thel present charges”.
But a closer look at the evidence shows that the DPPF’s legal advice was relied upon in the trial of the five people now convicted. In what looks like a twist of judicial malefaction, the state government said the “armed robbery incident took place in Offa, not in the Federal Capital Territory”. It brushed aside evidence that the Kwara state Police Command did not handle the investigation. In a quickfire response to the accusations, Saraki described the fresh criminal charges filed against him as “politically motivated and an abuse of judicial process”.
He strongly denied any direct or indirect link to the robbery, insisting that previous investigation by the federal authorities found no evidence against him. He decried the action of the state government, and said the state government has “turned the whole Offa robbery case against him into a media trial. He expressed readiness to “meet the Kwara state governor and his machinery in court”. Saraki also says every step taken by the government points a desperate attempt and a ploy by the state police command to implicate him at all cost.
For him, the current action by the state government is an instrument of blackmail in response to his(Saraki’s) criticism of the government’s shoddy handling of security situation in Kwara state. He advised the state government to be careful not to inflame tension in the state, or use the Offa robbery incident to achieve political gain. One thing is clear : the Offa robbery case may linger beyond the tenure of the governor Abdulrazaq. That’s why he should learn the message of the Titanic, which says, ‘don’t ignore warnings, don’t think you are too invincible. Be willing to change and listen. It will keep you from sinking and save you from those things that will pull you down’.
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The message is for the wise and foresighted. If care is not taken, reviving the Offa robbery case could be one tragedy to remember the tenure of governor Abdulrazaq for. That’s why the robbery case should not be used as a dirty diversionary tactic to overlook the numerous challenges facing the state under his watch. The Governor should be careful or risk his 8 years in power to be defined by the Offa bank robbery, especially when there are many security issues that call for his urgent attention.
He should bother about his legacy, what he wants history to remember him for when he leaves office next year. Legacies, it must be said, are critical for any public officeholder. It’s about how history will judge a leader. For emphasis, legacies are not just memories; they are footprints that influence conversations and policies long after a leader leaves the political stage. A strong legacy serves as a leader’s impact, grounding his career integrity, service and tangible achievements rather than just temporary hold to power.
Looking at the ongoing accusations and counter-accusations and the desperate search for a smoking gun to nail Saraki and others, one is compelled to worry more for the accuser than the accused. These are my worries: first, the amount of money spent in recent days on the front pages of newspapers could be enough to build a modern primary health-care centre or a good primary school and other infrastructure projects in the state. A governor is like the king of the state. He makes almost all the rules, but the people are like the queen. He could pull down his own monuments in a moment of misjudgment or in thoughtless pursuit of political vendetta .
In fact, reviving the Offa robbery case at this time that that Kwara state is under siege by bandits, insurgents and kidnappers is not a good image for the state. As I write this column, villages, communities, particularly in the Southern and Northern senatorial districts of the state have been under attack by bandits. As former President Olusegun Obasanjo said some time ago, “any government that can’t secure lives has forfeited the right to exist”. According to statistics, over 400 people were reported to have lost their lives between January 2025 and March 2026.
Over the weekend, three police officers were killed and two others injured when terrorists attacked a Police Mobile Station in the state capital, Ilorin. In Woro community of Kaiama Local Government Area alone, 176 people were murdered in one single attack last year. Many are still in kidnappers’ den, with hefty ransom demanded from victims’ families. This is what should concern the state government more than anything else. Addressing the pervasive insecurity and improving people’s living conditions matters more than political witch-hunt.
Focusing on Offa robbery case is a wrong strategy for the state government. Whoever advised the governor on this is misleading him. He may risk coming off it worse than he could imagine. Saraki is not contesting for any political office in 2027. One is not holding brief for Saraki. I have never met him before, nor ex-governor Ahmed. The point is that public opinion does not believe that the accusers would sponsor an armed robbery attack on banks in their beloved state they had governed to the best of their abilities. Interestingly, Saraki and the governor are from prominent families in the state state and very well educated.
A sitting governor who is accusing his two immediate predecessors of sponsoring armed robbers could be making mockery of the institution. The way forward: Rather than starting a ‘war’ that one cannot finish, the energy and resources should be invested in worthy projects that the people of the state are yearning for. The Offa robbery incident may be a political gimmick. It’s unlikely to work. It not catching on with the people who are already squeezed by insecurity and economic hardship.
