The family of one of the victims killed in the 2018 Offa robbery has announced plans to file a civil suit against former Senate President Bukola Saraki, former Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, and the Kwara State Government, following the conviction of five robbers involved in the deadly incident.
The robbery, which took place on April 5, 2018, led to the deaths of 33 people, including nine police officers, during a coordinated attack on several banks in the Offa community, Kwara State.
The civil suit, according to the family, is based on the confession made by one of the convicted robbers, Ayoade Akinnibosun, who revealed that he and the other culprits were political thugs working for Saraki and Ahmed. Akinnibosun, during his interrogation, stated that they had been working for Saraki since his tenure as Governor of Kwara State, adding that their political operations included disrupting elections in Kwara South where they could not secure victory for Saraki’s political party.
“My involvement with the Senate President Bukola Saraki? We are his boys! We work for him at Kwara South; we are the ones that hold Kwara South for him. We have been working for him since when we were in the PDP, it has been long, when he was Governor of Kwara State,” Akinnibosun revealed. He further disclosed that the Lexus car used during the robbery was given to him by Saraki through Governor Fatai Ahmed and handed over by the Chief of Staff.
Despite the state high court’s recent sentencing of the five robbers to death by hanging, the family and members of the Offa community are demanding further investigation into the case. They believe the masterminds and political godfathers behind the convicted robbers must also be brought to justice. The Offa Descendants Union (ODU), an apex socio-political group, echoed these concerns, calling for more comprehensive probes into the involvement of top political figures in the robbery.
Speaking at a press conference, Chief Tajudeen Shittu, ODU’s home branch chairman, emphasized the community’s reservations, noting that “many questions remain unanswered” regarding the level of political involvement in the robbery. While the community welcomed the judgment, they are advocating for accountability from those in power who allegedly enabled the convicted robbers.
As the family moves forward with their civil suit, they aim to hold accountable all parties involved in the tragedy, including Saraki, Ahmed, and the Kwara State Government. Their decision will mark a significant step toward seeking justice beyond the criminal convictions, as they demand full accountability for the lives lost during the attack.