A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Kwara Governance Reform Group has urged former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and his allies to see the reopening of Offa bank robbery as an opportunity to clear his name mentioned in the saga and during the trial that sentenced five participants in the heinous crime to death by hanging.

The group, yesterday at a press conference in the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat in Ilorin explained that its request would also ensure justice for the condemned four culprits.

The group’s publicity secretary, Queen Biola Olarewaju read a text titled: “Offa Robbery Case: Why Justice Must Prevail Above Politics” in which he said the reopening of investigations into the case followed fresh revelations linking Saraki and former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed to the crime that claimed no fewer than 33 lives, including police officers.

“Rather than preparing to submit himself to due legal process to clear his name, Senator Saraki has chosen to resort to media campaigns, using political affiliates to cast the matter as persecution and to blackmail the Kwara State Government, as has often been the pattern whenever legal scrutiny arises.

“This attempt to politicize a criminal matter must be rejected,” it urged the public.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the renewed attention on this matter did not originate from government vendetta. The Offa Descendants’ Union (ODU), on October 3, 2024, formally petitioned the Kwara State Government to investigate former Senate President Bukola Saraki, former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, and others mentioned by convicted robbers.

“This followed the judgment of Justice Haleema Salman of the Kwara State High Court, which convicted and sentenced five suspects to death by hanging for their role in the 2018 massacre.

“At the time, 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.

“That position gained further legal weight in January 2026 when the Court of Appeal in Ilorin upheld the convictions and death sentences of the five convicts, affirming findings on armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms and culpable homicide If proceedings remain alive at the Supreme Court, there is no legal or moral basis to suggest that those indicted in the course of investigation cannot face
trial.

“What is expected of Senator Saraki at this point is not political grandstand inge 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 the statements attributed to convicted members of the robbery gang.

“Those statements were made by criminals now convicted by both the High Court and the Court of Appeal, not by the Kwara State Government.

“This moment should be seen as an opportunity by all those named to clear their names through lawful process, if indeed they have nothing to hide, rather than making frantic efforts to politicize what is fundamentally a criminal prosecution. Justice for the 33 victims of Offa robbery must not be sacrificed on the altar of political convenience,” the group explained.

It warned that: “turning a grave criminal matter into a platform for political solidarity undermines the cause of justice and sends a troubling signal that accountability is negotiable when powerful interests are involved.

“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 the networks enabling criminality, rather than obstruct justice.

“The memory of the victims of Offa robbery demands truth, accountability and justice; nothing less,” it concluded.