Offa robbery: Group insists justice must take its course

The Kwara Governance Reform Group (KGRG) has called for calm and respect for due process following the renewed investigation into the Offa robbery case, warning that attempts to frame the matter as political persecution could undermine justice for victims.

Addressing a press conference on Friday in Ilorin the state capital, Arewa Queen Latifah Olanrewaju, the group’s Publicity Secretary, noted that the recent developments surrounding the case should be treated strictly as a legal matter rather than a political contest.

She said the group had observed “with keen interest” the reopening of investigations involving Bukola Saraki, former Senate President,

Abdulfatah Ahmed, former Kwara State governor and two of their former aides, following what she described as “fresh revelations linking them to the heinous crime that claimed no fewer than 33 lives, including police officers.”

According to her, instead of allowing the legal process to run its course, “Senator Saraki has chosen to resort to media campaigns, using political affiliates to portray the matter as persecution and to blackmail the Kwara State Government, as has often been the pattern whenever legal scrutiny arises.”

She stressed that the group views such responses as an attempt to politicise a criminal matter. “This attempt to politicise a criminal matter must be rejected,” she said.

Olanrewaju explained that the renewed attention on the case did not stem from any government vendetta, but from a petition submitted by the Offa Descendants’ Union (ODU) on October 3, 2024, urging the state government to investigate individuals allegedly mentioned by convicted suspects.

She recalled that Justice Haleema Salman of the Kwara State High Court had earlier convicted and sentenced five suspects to death by hanging for their roles in the 2018 attack a ruling that, according to her, strengthened calls for a broader investigation.

“The ODU made it clear that justice would not be complete until every individual linked to the crime, directly or indirectly, is subjected to due process,” she said.

She further noted that the Court of Appeal in Ilorin, in January 2026, upheld the convictions and death sentences of the five convicts for offences including armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms, and culpable homicide.

“With proceedings still ongoing at the Supreme Court, there is no legal or moral basis to suggest that those indicted in the course of investigation cannot face trial,” she added.

The group urged those mentioned in the ongoing investigation to submit themselves to lawful processes rather than resort to public confrontations.

“What is expected at this point is not political grandstanding or attacks on Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq who is neither the police nor the court but a direct response to the grave allegations arising from the investigation and statements attributed to convicted members of the robbery gang,” Olanrewaju clarified.

She emphasised that the statements forming the basis of renewed scrutiny were made by individuals already convicted by competent courts, insisting they were not fabricated by the state government.

“This moment should be seen as an opportunity for all those named to clear themselves through lawful process, if indeed they have nothing to hide, rather than making frantic efforts to politicise what is fundamentally a criminal prosecution,” she said.

The group also cautioned political actors, particularly within the People’s Democratic Party, against turning the matter into partisan rhetoric.

“At a time when arms proliferation, violent crime, and kidnappings continue to threaten innocent lives across Kwara and beyond, every sincere voice should support efforts to uncover networks enabling criminality, rather than obstruct justice,” Olanrewaju stated.

She posits that the memory of the victims must remain central to all discussions around the case, adding that “justice for the 33 victims of the Offa robbery must not be sacrificed on the altar of political convenience.”