Nigeria: Former senate president, governor charged with culpable homicide

By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria

A case that has been in the making for years has seen Kwara State formally charged former Senate President Bukola Saraki, ex-Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed, and two of their close aides with culpable homicide and criminal conspiracy. 

Their trial is scheduled to begin on June 4 before Justice Haleemah Salman at the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.The charges stem from the deadly armed robbery in Offa in April 2018 that left several people dead. The state government alleges that Saraki, Ahmed, and their associates armed and supported the gang behind the attack. The 20-count charge was filed after the Court of Appeal upheld the convictions of the main robbery suspects, including Ayo Akinnibosun, 

who reportedly confessed to being a “hit man” connected to Saraki’s political network.The other defendants include Yusuf Abdulwahab, who served as Chief of Staff to Governor Ahmed, and Alabi Olalekan, another aide.

What the evidence reportedly shows.

According to court documents, vehicles and other items linked to the robbery were recovered from the Kwara State Government House and a government ministry in 2018. 

These were later used as exhibits in the trial that convicted the robbers. Akinnibosun, one of the convicted men, made some striking claims in his statements. He said the Chief of Staff gave him two AK-47 rifles just before a political congress, and that he headed a group of political thugs working for both Saraki and Governor Ahmed at the time. 

He also mentioned receiving money, guns, and even a Toyota Lexus Jeep (reportedly with Saraki’s name on the plate) for his group. “I head a group of political thugs working for Senator Bukola Saraki and the Governor of Kwara State Fatai Ahmed,” his statement reads. “He usually gives me money to share to my boys… 

The last money he gave me was N500,000. He further claimed that he and his gang members escorted Saraki during a condolence visit to Offa right after the robbery, and that they were called to join the trip by one Samson Bada. The then Chief of Staff, Yusuf Abdulwahab, reportedly admitted in his own statement to giving Akinnibosun the Lexus Jeep and supporting various groups, saying the vehicle was provided at the direction of the government for “empowerment.”
Saraki has strongly denied the allegations, accusing the Kwara State Government of a political witch-hunt aimed at destroying his career. He has consistently said he did not know Akinnibosun personally, though photos have surfaced showing the two together at family events, including his child’s wedding. This trial is likely to be one of the most closely watched political cases in Nigeria this year, as it brings powerful former leaders into the dock over one of the most tragic violent incidents in Kwara’s recent history.