By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa
Former Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki has issued a strong rebuttal to criminal allegations brought against him by the Kwara State government, dismissing the case as a politically motivated “frame-up” linked to the 2018 Offa armed robbery incident.
In a statement released to journalists on Friday, Saraki said he would ordinarily ignore what he called an “insidious move” by incumbent Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, but felt compelled to respond following an outpouring of concern from Nigerians.
Saraki categorically denied any involvement in the robbery, which claimed multiple lives eight years ago, stating: “I have nothing to do directly or indirectly with any case of armed robbery or any criminal matter, whatsoever.”
The former Senate President alleged the Offa incident was “designed under the Buhari administration with the connivance of some individuals from Kwara State as an instrument of blackmail to seize political power from our group in 2019.”
He cited two legal advices from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, dated June 22, 2018, and August 23, 2018, which he said cleared him of any wrongdoing. According to Saraki, the DPP stated it was “unable to establish from the evidence a nexus between the alleged offence and the suspects” regarding both the Senate President and the then-Kwara State Governor.
Saraki noted that four suspects were subsequently charged, convicted at trial, and that the conviction was upheld on appeal, with the matter now before the Supreme Court.
The former Senate President accused Governor Abdulrazaq of resurrecting the charges only after he granted an interview to Channels TV criticising the governor’s handling of insecurity in the state. He claimed the governor deliberately withheld exculpatory DPP reports when circulating “frivolous charges” as paid newspaper advertisements.
“This is an example of dirty politics taken too far and too low,” Saraki said.
He pointed to recent security statistics, alleging that between January 2025 and March 2026, Kwara State lost over 400 lives to banditry with over 100 others kidnapped—figures that could not be independently verified.
Saraki also made a personal attack on the governor’s qualifications, stating: “For a man who never completed secondary school education, it is difficult for him to appreciate the issues involved in any matter.”
He concluded by expressing confidence in the judiciary, saying his legal team has been fully briefed and “this case against me will collapse like a pack of cards.”
The Kwara State government has yet to respond to Saraki’s allegations.
