By Adeniyi Ìṣhọlá
In April 2018, the quiet town of Offa in Kwara State was shaken by what remains one of the most brutal bank robberies in Nigeria’s recent history. At least 33 people, including police officers, lost their lives in the coordinated attack that left deep scars on families and the wider Offa community. In the aftermath of the attack, federal authorities launched investigations that eventually led to the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of suspects linked to the crime.
The judicial process, though lengthy, ran its course. Several suspects were found guilty and sentenced by the Kwara State High Court. In January 2026, the Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin affirmed the death sentences handed to five of the convicts, including Ayo Akinnibosun. Justice, by all legal standards, had been served.
The then governor of the State, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed and former governor of the state and then Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki were also investigated by federal authorities for their alleged link to the suspects. In the end, the federal government said it found no evidence against Saraki and Ahmed despite efforts by their political enemies to pin the robbery case on them to score political gains.
It is therefore both surprising and shocking that eight years after the incident, and after the conclusion of the judicial process, the Kwara State government under Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has chosen to reopen the case by filing fresh criminal charges against Saraki, Ahmed, and two others. This comes months after his failure to persuade families of victims of the armed robbery to initiate civil actions against Dr. Saraki for obvious political reasons. The question on the lips of majority of Kwarans and members of the public is that what purpose does this renewed prosecution serve? For me and most Kwarans, this move appears less about justice and more about politics, which is quite unfortunate considering the current reality of our dear State.
At a time when Kwara is grappling with a worsening security crisis, the choice to revisit a case that has already been adjudicated appears politically motivated and an act of desperation. Across several communities in the state, residents now live under constant threat of attacks, abductions, and displacement. Hundreds of innocent lives have been lost, families torn apart, communities deserted, and economic activities disrupted. The scale and frequency of these incidents are frightening and have transformed insecurity from a distant concern into an immediate humanitarian crisis.
Yet, in the face of this growing menace, the state government’s priority appears misplaced. The Governor is preoccupied with reopening a matter that has already been adjudicated. This disconnect is difficult to ignore. As a Kwaran, it is deeply concerning that the Abdulrahman administration, instead of concentrating its energy on addressing the urgent security challenges confronting the people, it is investing time and state resources in reviving a politically-motivated case, whose outcome will not be different to what is already publicly known.
As Dr. Saraki noted in his statement, one would have expected that a governor whose state has lost over 400 lives to banditry and terrorism in less than two years, with hundreds more in bandits’ den, would concentrate efforts and focus attention on taming the menace by getting the bandits arrested to face justice. These days, our dear State is mostly in the news for the bad reasons. What you read frequently about Kwara in the news are reports of bandit attacks, killings and kidnappings. Only today, I have read reports of bandits’ attack in three different communities, where innocent people have been killed and others including a traditional ruler and his wife were kidnapped. Sadly, this is a daily occurrence in our state.
As I write this piece, scores of innocent Kwara citizens are in the captivity of their abductors, including the 176 women and children who were abducted on February 3, 2026, when terrorists invaded Woro community in Kaiama, an incident that left nearly 200 people brutally murdered. Since they were kidnapped, there has been no public communication from the state government about what it is doing to get them rescued and reunited with their grieving families. Imagine the condition of the women and children who don’t even know if they will make it out alive.
Still, Governor Abdulrahman is fixated on pursuing frivolous and politically-motivated charges against his predecessors, whom he considers as enemies, instead of addressing the rising insecurity confronting the people he was elected to govern. This is what the Yorubas succinctly capture as “ofi etésílẹ̀, òn pa lápápá”—ignoring a serious illness while treating a minor one. This remark is often used to refer to someone who focuses on less important issues while more urgent or dangerous matters are neglected. This is the case of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara, who prioritises crude politics over public safety.
The priority of any responsible government should be the protection of lives and property. At this critical period, Kwarans, particularly those residing in vulnerable communities in Kwara South and North, are not interested in political battles; they are asking for safety, for leadership, and for decisive action against those terrorising their communities. Reopening the Offa robbery case does not address the present danger. It does not make communities safer. It does not bring relief to families living in fear.
Today, the most pressing challenge in Kwara State is insecurity—nothing else comes close. Kwarans want safety; protection of lives, security of communities, and restoration of normalcy. What they expect is a government fully committed to confronting these challenges with urgency, strategy, and visible action. Instead, what is being witnessed is a diversion of attention toward political machinations that offer little or no immediate benefit to the people. Prioritising political battles over public safety is a path that risks deepening public frustration and eroding trust in governance.
It is clear to all and sundry that the decision of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to exhume the Offa robbery case is politically-motivated and not rooted in seeking justice. By the way, justice has already been served as suspects linked to the robbery have been prosecuted and convicted. The governor and his advisors have missed it if they think they can use the case as an instrument of political blackmail and propaganda like they did in 2019. Kwarans are wiser and they know this is dirty politics taken too far and they no longer buy the propaganda of Abdulrahman and his men.
